The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

POLICE Staff Association Chairman Dwight Smith yesterday insisted “only time could tell” what truly inspired Commissioner Ellison Greenslade’s decision to transfer members of the PSA.

Mr Smith said he is still trying to understand how the organisation, which is sanctioned under the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) Act, could be subjected to this type of action.

Meanwhile, Mr Smith noted that in the wake of the commissioner’s decision, he is dealing with PSA issues by himself. According to him, he is the only officer presently operating under the association.

“I am dealing with all the issues,” Mr Smith said. “I have to address it all, all by myself. The one officer the PSA had in Grand Bahamas, he was also reassigned.

“At the end of the day it is only me. This was a major time for the PSA and we needed all the doctors in the operating room. If they are engulfed in the day-to-day workings of being officers, how do you then expect to deal with the matters of the PSA?”

Mr Smith added that the association was the only group working for the rights of officers.

According to Mr Smith, members of the PSA were abruptly reassigned without warning last week due to a recent spate in crime.

“The commissioner indicated to me that crime is high and the force needed all hands on deck. That included the officers in the PSA. I respected his ruling,” Mr Smith said.

“I asked the commissioner if it would be possible for the officers to be placed back under the PSA office at some point. He said he couldn’t address that at the moment. I am not trying to cause confusion or mistake his reasoning but questions are going to be raised about the timing of this decision.

“You have a whole statute law that gives way to the PSA’s existence, so when you go against that, are you really working in the best interest of the force?”

Tensions between the PSA and government have escalated recently.

Last month, the Supreme Court ruled that the government should pay overtime to police officers who worked a 12-hour shift in late 2013 or give them the equivalent time in days off.

State Minister for National Security Keith Bell, once a police officer, called the Supreme Court ruling a “hollow judgment”, adding that the government intends to appeal the decision.

That matter came on the heels of accusations by members of the PSA that the government is doing very little to address the health concerns of officers, with Mr Smith insisting that a number of the stations around the country are infested with mould.

On Monday, Free National Movement (FNM) Senator Michael Pintard came to the defence of the association, labeling the commissioner’s decision to reassign officers as a “huge, ill-advised, miscalculation”.

He said the move gave the impression that Mr Greenslade is “seeking to silence persons who are asking legitimate questions about the working conditions of officers.”