The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune

My father is a Reservist with many years of service. He had performed duties in the Royal Bahamas Police Reserve, he is one of those officers that can be called upon at any time. Without hesitating or complaining and stop whatever it is he is doing to go to that appointed station or function.

What I really want to write about is the time he has put in at the hurricane shelters and is not getting paid. He stated that he was told that he was mobilised to work and from my understanding whenever a Reservist is mobilised to work they would receive the same pay as a regular police officer no matter the rank.

So far he has been working at two shelters from October 2019 and this is now February 2020. There is no one from the Government or the Commissioner of Police saying anything to them about the mobilisation payment. From October and every month to now he has only been receiving his regular 150 hours payment but in the January 2020 pay every other reservist has been paid, excluding those who are working the shelters.

Questions were asked as to why that has happened but there was no one who could give them an answer. From my understanding they asked Deputy Commissioner Paul Rolle why aren’t they receiving what is due to them and he said he does not know the reason why.

If they are not going to pay those officers the mobilising pay then at least pay them their regular pay on time and that would give them the chance to decide if they will stay or quit. If it was me from the first month I did not receive my due pay I was not going back.

Most of the officers working those shelters are retired like my father so they need that pay to keep them going. Yes my father loves his job but my father also has bills that need to be paid just like every other reserve and if they are being paid in my opinion he should be paid as well.

Once again thank you for giving me the space to express my disgust as to how these retired dedicated reservist are being treated.

Disgruntled child of a Reservist.

DISGRUNTLED

Nassau,

February 11, 2020.