NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Manpower remains an issue for the armed forces in the country, with shortages seen in the Police Force, the Defense Force, and the Department of Correctional Services.
Royal Bahamas Defense Force Commissioner Raymond King said it is not an issue The Bahamas is facing alone but other countries have also seen a dip in the percentage of officers they are able to retain.
“Every entity, public or private experience, some level of turnover for various reasons,” he said.
“The defense force, for various reasons, has experienced, as I would have alluded to the media, recently, some 3.5 percent; Jamaica has an attrition rate of 3.3 percent; the United States between 25 to 40 percent; but the threshold of concern is a 20 percent mark.
“In most cases 50 percent or about 3.5 percent of persons who had to leave by mandatory means, involuntary, they would have reached the age limit to leave. The data by itself needs to be matched against what is our annual intake. We have recruited over the past several years seven times the amount of the persons, and number of persons that we would have lost; and so if we lose 45, we recruit some 360 plus. So the organization continues to grow.”
King confirmed that when it comes to recruitment, the numbers are up. Last month, 125 persons began training, and King said that most end up joining the force.
One of the contributing factors to the insufficiency, according to King, is older officers leaving before reaching retirement age. Recently the retirement age has been increased from 55 to 60. King said some of them are deterred by the decentralization, as a result, there have been several initiatives to attract and satisfy officers.
“I believe in the concept of talent management, not only being able to attract and recruit but to retain high-value employees. And so I would seek and I have done so deliberately to reward and recognize those persons for their efforts. We are looking and we have several measures before the government to improve the conditions of service. And so we’re looking to do that.
“And so we’ve been deliberate and looking after the welfare, the morale and the needs of those members, whether they are deployed or not, and showing that the organization has the support network.”
Weighing in on the issue, Senior Labour Executive, Quinton Laroda, said that he has seen reports on attrition in the armed forces. However, he adds that when people leave the public sector and opt to work for private companies, it’s a good sign.
“When you have a robust private sector that says that your economy is doing well and that’s more advantageous for a country […]
“When you have a robust private sector and when the professionals also have options of going in public or private and that provides competition that increases in wages for those individuals that will encourage average people to pursue professional careers […]
“So I am very pleased that there is competition for professionals.”
When asked if he was concerned about an increasing skills gap as a result of the growing private sector, Laroda said the Ministry of Labour is doing what it can through the National Training Agency to train people for the workforce.
“We are interested in and promoting good, decent quality work for all; and so the skills gap can be created, but we have the wherewithal and we’re doing what we can to fill those gaps now.”
The Labour Executive said other than the labour concerns, there’s a social dynamic that may be contributing to people’s stickability in the armed forces.
“There has been a lot of knocks against the armed forces and the police force, and I think it is damaged, you know, some of the reputation of the force and the nobility of the force.
“And I think we need to return to that sense of holding our police officers in high regard, and also, these officers should recognize their awesome responsibility to have the weight of the law on their shoulders and that conduct should always be above reproach.
“I would encourage people to become a part of it and to stay and go make a career out of law enforcement,” Laroda said.
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