The Tribune

By FELICITY DARVILLE

DESPITE the alarming incidents of murder and crime in the country, the officers of the Royal Bahamas Police Force are doing a “phenomenal job” – they are simply overwhelmed and need more support and resources, according to a former Assistant Commissioner.

Police today are overwhelmed with the workload they undertake, but their efforts to combat crime are to be commended, according to highly-decorated retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Paul Rupert Thompson, Sr.

“I give the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) high marks,” he said.

“They are very good; they have done well. They are overwhelmed – but they are doing well.”

Mr Thompson received countless commendations and awards during his 39 years of service to the RBPF and because of it, he continues to serve as a mentor, advisor and even father figure to many. He remains invested in seeing the crime situation improved and seeing the groundwork that he laid serve a purpose as today’s officers tackle crime and social ills. His work rewarded him with more than 25 commendations, awards and medals, including the Queen’s Police Medal, the Colonial Police Medal, and a commendation from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Of his nearly four decades of service, he spent 25 years attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Despite strained resources, manpower and funding, Commissioner Thompson advises that officers continue community work and creating lasting friendships with community leaders to keep peace on the streets.

“I solved a lot of crimes,” he said.

“I took it as a challenge. If someone committed a crime, I went after them. I solved a lot of crime because I was very friendly with a lot of Bahamian people. They helped me, and they helped me discreetly. Nobody got to know who was helping me.”

Ninety-five-year-old retired Commissioner Paul Thompson celebrated his birthday at the Paul H Farquharson centre over the weekend. There, top brass of the RBPF was in attendance, including Commissioner of Police Clayton Fernander; Deputy Commissioner of Police Leamond Deleveaux; Deputy Commissioner of Police Dr Loretta Mackey; Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Public Safety and Operational Support Craig Stubbs; Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Corporate Services Kirkwood Andrews and others.

Commissioner Fernander called Mr Thompson a “living legend” who has “made a huge impact” on the careers of many police officers.

“He made it possible for many police officers to receive training in England; I am one of the recipients of that,” Commissioner Fernander said.

“He spent most of his senior years on the force finding innovative ways to boost the morale of police officers. He was instrumental in the establishment of the police staff association. He is gracious with praise, honesty with criticism, and demanding, but fair. Even after he left the force, he continued to support the organisation in many ways with recommendations to assist with the fight against crime.”

Commissioner Fernander called Mr Thompson a “hero to our country”. Mr Thompson is a native of Trinidad. He answered the call for police officers in The Bahamas from Trinidad in 1951. In April of that year, a squad of 18 young men passed out as the latest recruits of the RBPF. Of that squad, two became Assistant Commissioners – Mr Thompson and Lawrence Major, a Bahamian. Three of them became Superintendants. There were less than 200 officers on the RBPF at the time.

“Coming to The Bahamas was the best choice I could have made in my entire life,” he said as he reflected on his professional career while surrounded by family, friends and colleagues.

Former Commissioner Paul H Farquharson also spoke at the event, and Minister of Education and Vocational Training Glenys Hanna-Martin was among special invited guests. Birthday toasts came from several sectors of society including: Henry Wemyss on behalf of security companies; Irving Taylor and Eddie Ford for survivors of the Commonwealth Wanderers; Davin Wenn for the Myers Group of Restaurants; Rodney Moncur for the media; Fred Munnings for musicians; and Janet Thompson, Dianne Miller and Tracy Coakley for the family.

In his book “A Policeman’s Story”, Mr Thompson lays out a rich experience serving on the RBPF. He speaks about the historic Commission of Inquiry which took place in Nassau, and his testimony of incidents, including a drug raid in Bimini. He served under Commissioners, including former Commissioner Salathiel Thompson, who was also attached to CID for a period of time. Mr Thompson helped to establish a formal Record of Performance and Legacy for Police Officers.

Mr Thompson set a high standard of excellence at the Police Training College, and selected personnel to be trained in the United Kingdom, at the FBI Academy, and other police training institutions around the world. His expertise was utilised in the development of Bahamian legislation, including the Elections Act; Fraudulent Breach of Trust and fraudulent Conversion; Libel; false Pretenses, Forgery, Uttering and Fraud; and Judges Rules and Administration.

He noted many of his recommendations are still useful today, including in the areas of shanty town and immigration; crime and tourism; major disasters; changing police systems; police shootings and brutality; powers of arrest with and without warrants; domestic violence; and crime prevention and neighbourhood watch.