The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

A POLICE officer is suing the commissioner of police and the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s promotion board for refusing to give him a promotion on two occasions, while simultaneously promoting other officers to the very rank he sought.

Constable Delmar Taylor, in a sworn affidavit, said he was overlooked twice on a promotion to corporal, while other constables he alleges did not satisfy certain requisite RBPF policies, courses or examinations went ahead of him.

The officer of 12 years claims he was snubbed on two occasions: once following a promotion exercise in 2014, and again following a police advisory for promotion vacancies three years later in 2017.

And in each instance, Const Taylor claims the RBPF promoted “a number” of other police constables who either did not satisfy the RBPF’s policies concerning seniority, merit, experience and formal qualification, or who had not successfully completed the RBPF’s Constable Development Course or Police Proficiency Examinations, both fundamental requirements for promotion.

This, despite him completing numerous courses as well as being the holder of an Associate’s of Arts Degree in Business Management from the University of the West Indies.

He claims the snubs have caused him emotional distress and anxiety.

He is seeking declarations that the entire process concerning the RBPF’s promotions during the periods in question was unfair, that the commissioner of police abused his power, as well as damages, according to his attorney Bjorn Ferguson.

The officer’s affidavit was filed as part of an application for a judicial review of the RBPF’s promotion exercises in question.

The commissioner of police, who was then Ellison Greenslade, Superintendent Gabriella Pratt, Clarence Reckley, Perry Clarke, and Patrick Johnson are listed as the respondents in the matter, and are being sued in their capacity as members of the Police Promotion Board.

According to his affidavit, Const Taylor enlisted in the RBPF on June 19, 2006. Since then, he has been attached to the Fire Services Unit, Tourism Police Unit, Quiet Storm, Central Police Station, among other areas.

In August 2012, he was transferred to Eleuthera and attached to the Rock Sound Police Station, where he served as the station orderly.

He further claimed he was responsible for a shift/guard and was the senior constable performing the role of a “de facto corporal” from sometime in 2013 to the present.

On October 2014, the police force conducted a Police Proficiency Examination at the police college. However, Const Taylor said it was “widely known” and discussed throughout the RBPF at the time that the “integrity and procedural” propriety of the exams were being challenged.

Nonetheless, he said the executive administration and leadership of the RBPF did “nothing” to allay the concerns raised over those examinations.

That same year, Const Taylor said the RBPF held a promotion exercise, prompting him to apply for elevation to the rank of corporal. He said he was unsuccessful in his bid to do so.

However, he claimed it was “notoriously known” throughout the RBPF that individuals who did not sit the examinations and some who weren’t successful in the tests were still elevated, which he said was “clearly in contravention of the Force Standing Orders.”

After the 2014 promotion exercise, Const Taylor said he wrote to the police chief and requested an opportunity to meet and discuss with him “any reason that may have affected the decision not to elevate (him) to the rank of corporal.” However, he said he got no response.

On January 21, 2017, Const Taylor said he was transferred to the Governor’s Harbour Police Station in Eleuthera, and came under the immediate supervision of Sergeant 188 Farquharson and Inspector Nigel Rolle.

In March 2017, he said those two officers insisted on conducting another performance appraisal on him, despite his oral communications that such an appraisal was inconsistent with the RBPF’s policy on assessments and career development, which speaks to appraisals being done on six month intervals.

The officer said he also spoke to his divisional commander, Superintendent Christopher Wright in reference to the inconsistency, and was assured by Supt Wright that he had the “final say” and that he had “firmly recommended” him to be promoted to corporal.

After speaking with Supt Wright and receiving his verbal endorsement, Const Taylor said he formed the “reasonable expectation to be elevated.”

On March 6 and 7, 2017, Const Taylor said the Police Proficiency Examinations were conducted at the training college and some 832 officers wrote those examinations. The results of those tests were published five days later on March 11.

He submitted an application for a promotion but did not receive one.

Const Taylor said he wrote then-Commissioner Greenslade on two occasions concerning a promotion. The first time was March 13, 2017 and the second was on May 2, 2017.

To date, however, he has not received a response to either letter. And when he flew into New Providence on May 2, 2017 to meet with Mr Greenslade concerning Force Orders, he was informed that the former police chief wasn’t meeting with anyone.

Mr Greenslade has since retired from the RBPF and is now serving as the Bahamas’ high commissioner to the United Kingdom, and also as the country’s permanent representative to the International Maritime Organisation.

Former Deputy Commissioner of Police Anthony Ferguson has since assumed the role of COP.