By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS 

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

The Royal Bahamas Police Force is turning to a new online application system in a bid to tackle manpower shortages that have left officers overextended across the country.

Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles has renewed calls for more recruits, stating she could “guarantee a very good and successful career” for those who enlist.

She said all major islands and many cays have police stations that must be manned, but the current force is too small to provide consistent coverage. 

“Just as the people in New Providence need to see the police on a 24-hour basis, so the people in Ragged Island and so the people in Mayaguana should have the same kind of police coverage,” Commissioner Knowles said.

The portal opens tomorrow at 10am to Bahamians between 18 and 30 years old.

She added that the public has not fully felt the shortage because of the dedication of officers who continue to work extended hours. However, she has previously estimated that the force needs at least 2,000 more officers to properly police the country.

Concerns about staffing levels within the RBPF are long-standing. Earlier this year, Commissioner Knowles conceded that the force was stretched thin in both New Providence and across the Family Islands, where officers routinely work extended 12 to 24-hour shifts.

National Security Minister Wayne Munroe has also described the shortage as a persistent issue, pointing earlier this year to a shortfall of about 900 officers when the Davis administration came to office in 2021. He attributed the deficit to the previous administration’s failure to maintain consistent recruitment amid attrition from retirements, dismissals, resignations, and deaths.

A 2021 manpower audit conducted by the Ministry of National Security’s Research and Development Section revealed that the RBPF was not only understaffed at the constable level but also severely “top-heavy” in its leadership ranks. The audit found that while the force had 837 constables, it needed at least 791 more to adequately protect Bahamians.

At the same time, it had an excess of senior officers, with researchers concluding there was “no conceptual transfer of knowledge” occurring at the top levels to strengthen the organisation.