COMMODORE Raymond King is to leave his post – but we hope that some of his suggestions do not leave with him.

The commodore is being replaced as the head of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. Captain Floyd Moxey is to be his successor.

Back in February this year, Commodore King did the decent thing – and stood up for transparency and accountability.

He said that he wants senior defence officers, particularly those involved in logistics, maintenance and procurement to be required to disclose their finances as part of efforts to combat corruption.

Consider the backdrop to those calls. It came in the wake of the US indictment which alleged police and defence force officers were part of an international drug smuggling ring.

The reasoning behind such officers disclosing their finances is simple – if any unusual amounts of money start appearing in accounts, disclosures would help to show if they are coming from legitimate sources. Or otherwise.

It is the same reasoning why parliamentarians should live up to their requirements to disclose their finances each year – and the reason why The Tribune keeps asking the question as to who has disclosed, and who has not.

The statement also came in the wake of reports that Deputy Commissioner of Police Anthony Rolle had been awarded a nearly $1m contract to a company he founded by the government.

It was not an easy landscape, we would venture to say, to stand up and call for even greater measures to ensure that officers are doing the right thing.

That same US indictment though also placed question marks over the force being led by the commodore – and soon to be handed over.

Commodore King called the force’s internal systems “very robust” in the wake of that indictment, despite the allegations being made.

National Security Minister Wayne Munroe has also spoken of major setbacks in the force’s fleet of late, with several vessels out of service due to damage or scheduled maintenance.

Commodore King addressed that this week, saying such challenges are to be expected and that managing a fleet is costly and complex.

Tellingly, as people debate the funding of the fire service in the wake of several recent blazes, the commodore says that it is important to have sufficient funding to support the refitting costs necessary to maintain the fleet.

Yesterday, the commodore spoke further on the issue of accountability, suggesting that there should be a stricter vetting process for officers assigned to sensitive areas.

This would be in addition to the regular security vetting, and would include a review of their financial backgrounds. He did not say it himself, but simply put, an officer facing bankruptcy or under financial strain could be targeted by gangs.

So as the incoming Commodore Moxey arrives, we hope that he will bear in mind some of his predecessor’s ideas.

Stricter measures to ensure the integrity of the force are important, especially given the accusations that have been made.

Commodore-to-be Moxey, it’s over to you.