The Tribune

By FELICITY DARVILLE

FOR the first time in the history of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, two women were promoted to the lofty position of Assistant Commissioner of Police at the same time. Their success paves the way for a new era in the Police Force, one where women are being presented with more opportunities for leadership. This is important, not only to the women of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF), but to the young school girls who will aspire to join the force, knowing that they, too, could reach the heights within the organisation.

The newly-appointed Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Janet McKenzie was one of them. She was a young teenager, attending RM Bailey Senior High School, when she hopped off the bus in downtown, Nassau, and saw a female officer at work.

These were the days when officers would stand on the ceremonial black box at the corner of East and Bay Streets, fully regaled, directing traffic. Their uniform and movements on that box were iconic, alluring to tourists, and captured by countless photographers.

 “She was immaculate, she commanded respect and she was completely focused,” Janet reminisced.

That incident solidified her interest in policing, which was fostered many years before, when she was a little girl growing up in the inner city in the Englerston community.

“I grew up on Podoleo Street in the 1980s and 90s - the drug era,” she shared.

“I often saw police officers come through the area. I didn’t like the way some of them spoke to the people in our community. It was a generalisation. Although there were some people who involved in not-so-good activities, that did not define everyone on Podoleo Street.”

Even as a little girl, she was uncomfortable with this. There were community members deserving of respect, who were being disrespected because of where they lived. Her young, bright mind envisioned being a part of the change - joining the force so that she could help to change perceptions and close the gap between the police and the people.

Today, she has the opportunity to do just that. On Monday, December 11, 2023, she received her official letters, promoting her to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police. She is responsible for the Human Resources Department; Civilian Personnel; the Domestic Violence Unit; the Ministry of National Security Police Personnel; Police Staff Association Personnel; the Police Day Care Centre; the Police Force Insurance Office; and the New Providence District Headquarters. ACP McKenzie and ACP Shanta Knowles have made RBPF history - their appointment represents the first time that two women were promoted to ACP at the same time.

These appointments come ahead of a monumental year for women in policing in The Bahamas. The year 2024 will represent a landmark 60 years since women first served as police officers in the country.

ACP McKenzie’s appointment comes after more than 30 years of policing in The Bahamas. Her vast experience includes operational planning, leadership, training, risk management, and administrative positions. Most recently, she served as the Officer-in-Charge of the Western Division, where she enjoyed much success by operating on evidence-based policing. The Western Division covers the historic villages of Gambier and Adelaide. It is also the home of several open and gated communities, commercial and tourist areas.

ACP McKenzie’s promotion is well-deserved. She is a major event security expert. She has strategized, provided direction for, and coordinated with international, regional, and local law enforcement agencies for the execution of successful high-level security of world leaders from the Caribbean, Africa, China, The United Kingdom, The United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America. They include: the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (William and Kate); Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau; Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris; Prime Ministers Mia Mottley of Barbados, Andrew Holness of Jamaica, and thirteen other Prime Ministers and Ministers throughout the Caribbean and the region.

 She has also served as the Officer-in-Charge of the Northwestern Division; and Officer-in-Charge and Second In-Charge of the Southern (Quakoo Station) Policing Division. She is the former Director of the Strategic Policy, Planning & Research Branch. She was responsible for crime analysis, statistical data, research, organisational development, and Geographical Information System (GIS) crime mapping for the Royal Bahamas Police.

Overwhelmed with gratitude, ACP McKenzie reflected on how far she has come since the days when she first entered the Police Training College. She first caught a ride with a family member to the College to apply. Eventually, she was accepted, and told she would be able to join the next cohort. That group came and went, and she was not called. Another cohort was called, and the young Janet was still not called for training. She continued to check back and on the third occasion, she was finally accepted, and a lifelong career began.

When she first entered the Police College, one of the things Janet was required to do was to write an essay on what she wanted to do as a police officer. In that essay, she shared that she wanted to improve the relationship between the public and the police.

“This whole week for me was so surreal,” she said of being appointed Assistant Commissioner of Police.

“Even though it was out there, it isn’t official until it’s official. On my drive from work after getting my promotion letters, tears were flowing down my face. God was showing me my career like a movie.”

She was seeing all of the highs and lows of her career. She remembers how one of the instructors would yell, “Drop and give me 50!” And she would have to do 50 pushups anytime he saw her. Despite wanting to give up many times during training, she refused to do so, because she didn’t want to let her mother Violet Kelly, aunt Nellie Bullard, and father James Thurston down.

She remembers being an officer and working on the “big blue bus”, the “house of pain” under officer Oscar Sands. She thought about the day her husband, who was in the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, was out to sea, her mom was unavailable, and she had to bundle up her young baby and take him to work because her superiors accepted no excuses. She recalls the miscarriage she experienced with a baby so close to full term, and the birth of her daughter. Through it all, she says God girded her with the strength to overcome all of her trials and to celebrate all of the highlights of her career.

There was a point in her career where she thought she would never be promoted. She spent 7 years at the rank of Sergeant and no matter how many times she applied for promotion, it did not come through. If an officer is not promoted to “khaki” or inspector within a certain period of time in their career, they would never receive that rank. This was almost Janet’s fate. However, her faith proved worthwhile and before the time was up, she was presented with her Khaki uniform.

An advocate for lifelong learning, ACP McKenzie is currently completing a Doctorate degree. In 2014, she completed a Master’s degree in Organizational Learning and Leadership from Barry University. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from The College of The Bahamas. These degrees and other certifications have amalgamated her practical knowledge to a strong theoretical base. Her educational journey began at Claridge Primary School, then CI Gibson Junior High, before graduating from RM Bailey Senior High School.

ACP McKenzie received law enforcement training in the United States, Canada, Central America, and the Caribbean. She was trained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Federal Law Enforcement Training Centre (FLETC); Secret Service (SS); Customs Border Patrol (CBP); Defensive Security Service (DSS); Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE); Ammunition Tobacco & Firearms (ATF); Internal Revenue Services (IRS); Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Department of Homeland Security and the Canadian Mounted Police.

Over the years, ACP McKenzie has trained hundreds of police officers from the recruit to those in senior command. She relishes these opportunities as she recognises that training is a vital part of progress and productivity in any organization. She is a “systems thinking leader” who believes that everyone has an important role to play in the overall success of an organisation. She is extremely grateful to be able to directly impact the lives of so many in this essential service in The Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

Also being promoted to ACP with the two history-making women are: Rodger Thompson, Warren Johnson, Roberto Goodman, Earl Thompson, Dwight Adderley, Chaswell Hanna, Damien Robinson, and Anthony Rolle.

During the promotions, RBPF Commissioner Clayton Fernander said “you could see that there is a female knocking on the door to be the next Commissioner of Police.”

When asked about her view, ACP McKenzie said: “A Commissioner of Police, who is also a woman, brings together the intersections of passion, compassion, sternness, and care.”

“In addressing the crime fight, what’s most important is having a leader who is a visionary and strategic thinker. As a woman, we have the ability to bring people together, understand the contributing factors of crime, and effectively mobilise people and resources to make an impact on crime and criminality in our society.”

Her commitment to God, family and country is evident. During her career, ACP McKenzie has received the Meritorious Award, Long Service & Good Conduct Award, and the Long Service and Conduct Clasps from the Royal Bahamas Police Force. She is the vice president of the first International Alumni Chapter of Barry University, Miami Florida. She is also on the Board of Directors of ZONTA Club of New Providence, and serves as Chairperson for the Advocacy Committee, which has been a strong national advocate for women’s protection, rights and empowerment in The Bahamas.