By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

NINETEEN police officers were discharged from the Royal Bahamas Police Force for disciplinary reasons last year, three of them after being found guilty in court, Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade said yesterday.

Commissioner Greenslade also revealed that two of three officers who were discharged after criminal convictions in 2014 have been remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

Fifteen officers were discharged for “ceasing to be efficient police officers,” and their discharges were “deemed necessary by the commissioner in the public interest”.

Another officer was discharged for “being absent without leave for 30 days or more” and was “deemed to have vacated his office by law”.

Meanwhile, the number of complaints against police officers dropped from 285 in 2013 to 257 in 2014, according to the Complaints and Corruptions Unit.

According to the unit’s data, last year there were 115 complaints of assault compared to 134 in 2013 against officers, a decrease of 14 per cent.

Nonetheless, Mr Greenslade said this year, officers must be held to a “higher standard”.

“I wish to recognise at this juncture, the outstanding contributions of the employees of the RBPF in 2014 and I want to again publicly offer our thanks and appreciations for the sacrifices that they have made,” Mr Greenslade said. “We believe that the majority of our officers are decent, upstanding, honest, and industrious Bahamians who are committed to the service of the citizens of this country.

“However, I must also recognise the fact that we have among us some persons who have not remained true to their oath of office and who have brought the good name of the RBPF into disrepute in 2014. Where we have identified such persons, our actions have been firm and decisive.”

Mr Greenslade revealed the information during his annual meet the press event, where he also unveiled his 2015 policing plan.