Turnquest says the PLP politicized RBPF:
By KEVA LIGHTBOURNE, Guardian Senior Reporter
Nassau, Bahamas:


National Security and immigration Minister Tommy Turnquest yesterday charged that the "greatest politicization" of the Police Force came under the watch of former Prime Minister Perry Christie.

"One only has to look at the most recent promotions exercise of the police force. The police force was politicized like never before in our history. Not even in the days of the old PLP," Turnquest said in the House of Assembly in his contribution to the debate on the amendment to the Airport Authority Act, which was unanimously passed in the lower chamber despite the Opposition's earlier objections.

"They decided they wanted to get rid of two senior officers and they gave instructions to have them moved with nothing to do. In fact, they moved the head of the Central Detective Unit (CDU) and sent him to be in charge of Air and Sea Ports," Turnquest explained.

"They gave him no mandate, no structure and no accommodations. Another they moved from fighting crime and sent him to the Police College. I am laying this charge at the feet where it properly belongs, and that is the former government headed by the Member of Farm Road. I hear him trying to muddy the waters by calling the Commissioner's (Paul Farquharson) name, but I know better and he knows I know better.

He should be ashamed of what he has done to the police force in his five-year tenure," said Turnquest, who is also the MP for Mt. Moriah.

Asst. Commissioner Marvin Dames held the post of Officer-In-Charge of CDU before he was reassigned earlier this year. Reginald Ferguson held the position of Assistant Commissioner of Police with responsibility for Crime before he was reassigned to head the Police College.

However, Christie insisted that he was "proud" of the most recent promotions. He said that during his tenure he urged the Commissioner of Police to recognize that there were many officers who had been bypassed and where in possession of associate degrees and other qualifications and were still Constables.

"I implored them to review the list. I don't know the officers. I am most gratified that in our term, without precedents, in the entire ten-years of their term had they claimed to have impacted positively on police promotions in the Royal Bahamas Police Force in the way we have," Christie said.

"Those of us who have been in public life for a long time, we certainly know officers on the police force whose views are different to ours.

Many of them share friendships with me and I am also pleased to say without fear of contradiction that there are so many of them who have been the beneficiary of promotions during the time of my government, where we totally disregarded their politics."

With regard to the removal of the officers, the Centreville MP said: "When it comes to the dignity of the police officers of whom he spoke, the records in his file should reflect the extent to which I went, me, to ensure that they were treated with dignity with respect to promotions.

"In all of this I am satisfied that the current prime minister is aware of the extent to which I went to enable those gentlemen to have the fulfillment in their careers of their abilities wherever they may be on the force."