The Tribune

By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

POLICE Commissioner Ellison Greenslade yesterday challenged those who criticised his policing policies to “join the Royal Bahamas Police Force” rather than “attack those who sacrifice themselves on the front lines every day”.

Speaking to reporters at police headquarters, Mr Greenslade said despite criticisms from members of parliament, the judiciary and the wider public, there is “nothing more” the police could have done to combat crime in 2014.

Last year, Prime Minister Perry Christie said he would not have his legacy “tied to a total reliance on the Royal Bahamas Police Force and the leadership of that force”.

Critics in the Free National Movement at the time accused the prime minister of throwing the commissioner “under the bus”.

Last year, the commissioner expressed frustration about the number of people who were granted bail for serious crimes. He suggested that police arrest serious offenders only to see them released on bail a short time later and reoffend while awaiting trial.

In response, Bar Association President Elsworth Johnson said the courts should “seriously consider” holding Mr Greenslade in contempt for making comments he believed impugned the integrity of the judiciary.

Mr Johnson said top law enforcement officials are challenging the integrity of the court.

Yesterday, Mr Greenslade said usually he would ignore the nitpicking but “whenever there is a challenge” to the “good name of the RBPF” he has an obligation to defend his organisation. However, he did not refer to anyone specifically.

“I put it this way, if you ask me this morning to make a statement about another department anywhere in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, I will not answer you, I would be out of order, I have no ability to answer you, I would be offering you an opinion, that cannot be correct,” Mr Greenslade said.

“I am a police officer and I must restrict myself to my policing boundaries. And so I can understand a lot of people getting excited. They have a fancy with law enforcement and I guess they like the police cars and the uniform and they wish to be policemen – so just join us. I would love to have you join us.

“Our recruitment is six months at the Police Training College, very vigorous training and I would be happy to fit them with the accoutrements, fit them in a police car, take them to one or two hot spots and help us out. The time you take to criticise, come and join and those persons who cannot join because they are too old, you might consider being a reservist or you might consider becoming a consultant. So if you truly want to help, there are lots of areas to help in.”