The Tribune

By Leandra Rolle

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames insisted yesterday that he has no beef with Commissioner Anthony Ferguson, days after saying the police chief was “nearing the end of his reign” over the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

“Ladies and gentleman and members of the press, the commissioner and I have no beef. I too was once a police officer of the Royal Bahamas Police Force and I have the utmost respect for the commissioner,” he said at a contract signing held at police headquarters yesterday. 

Mr Dames was responding to concerns about a statement he made last week in reference to the commissioner’s eventual departure.  He told reporters that when that time comes, the police chief, who has served as commissioner for more than two years, should ideally be “ready and excited to move on,” because he, like many others in the RBPF are “all just passing through”.

Clarifying his initial comments, Mr Dames said that he has the utmost respect for the police chief. He said he did not understand how The Tribune had headlined coverage of his remarks with the headline:  “Ferguson told - your days are numbered.”  

He also briefly addressed concerns about the return of Commodore Tellis Bethel to the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. 

The commodore was forced on three month’s vacation leave in October, a move noted by the Minnis administration to prevent officers from accumulating so much vacation leave that they have to be paid substantial sums of money when they retire.

“We shall see (if the commodore returns)...These agencies are bigger than any one individual and we all know that people take leave. We have to be respectful of that. I want to be respectful of the commodore. He’s not only a colleague, but he’s also a friend,” he told reporters when asked whether the commodore is expected to return to work.

“So, we want to be respectful to all involved (and) as we move each day, we will certainly keep you appraised. We want to be respectful to the commodore, We want to be respectful to other officers within our law enforcement agencies, as we should be.” 

Mr Bethel is expected to return to work today.