The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

IN the upcoming fiscal year, the Minnis administration has budgeted $5.6m for overtime pay for police officers who worked overtime at separate periods in 2013 and 2014.

This includes the first tranche of payments paid to police on Monday, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance K Peter Turnquest confirmed yesterday.

Mr Turnquest said this year the officers will receive all the money the government has committed to giving them.

They will receive the money in four instalments.

The Police Staff Association, which took the former administration to court in 2015 over the overtime issue, previously said the total payout for police would be about $16m if the choice is made to give police financial compensation.

The Tribune understands that as many as 1,799 officers were eligible to begin receiving pay starting Monday.

This does not include reservists and retirees, nor does it include officers who have since died and whose estate is entitled to collect the cheques, this newspaper was told.

People who fall into those categories will be dealt with separately.

The overtime payments come as the PSA is in the midst of a transition period. With his recent promotion to assistant superintendent, Dwight Smith has vacated the office of PSA chairman and can no longer serve as an executive in the association.

Nominations for PSA positions will be held on June 1 and an election to fill the association’s vacancies is set for June 15.

As the administration tries to curb violent crime in the country, no significant increase for national security purposes are contained in the 2017-2018 budget.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force has received a seven per cent increase in its estimated budget allocation for the new fiscal year, up from $126m in the previous budget to $136m in the new budget.

The budget for the Ministry of National Security remains mostly unchanged.

Of note, the Minnis administration has allocated $90,000 to the National Intelligence Agency, just as the Christie administration had done in the previous budget. Mr Turnquest yesterday reiterated his administration’s intention to bring legislation governing the NIA.