NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Police Commissioner Paul Rolle said he has directed the complaints branch of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) to investigate Minister of Transport Jobeth Coleby-Davis’ altercation with an officer.
Rolle, who demits office on July 5th, previously said an assistant commissioner of police was handling the matter.
But he suggested yesterday that a different course has now been taken.
The alleged altercation between the minister and the officer happened as carnival festivities took place last month.
The officer alleges Coleby-Davis injured his leg with her car because he refused to let her pass. Coleby-Davis has denied the allegation.
“That matter was being investigated,” Rolle said in an interview with Eyewitness News.
“I think they were saying…they were going to take a certain course of action, each one.
“I’ve referred the matter to the police complaints unit.
And so, I can’t talk to that pointedly because that has to come back to the commissioner at the end of the day, so they’re doing their investigations.
“And, you know, I’ve said before… we have to find a mechanism for when matters go before the tribunal [for] the disposition can be made public.
“But we notified individuals. But, you know, you have the media asking, you have other interested persons asking, but because they are all internal then, yeah that’s what that is.”
Matters customarily go before the complaints branch only if a complaint is made against an officer.
Pressed on this, Rolle said: “…We were trying to get Jobeth, Minister Coleby to give her statement. Because there were statements made in the public domain, but none was made, no complaint, no official complaint was made.
“The officer’s alleging that he was struck. And I think she was making some allegations as well.
“I want to hear what her allegations were. I said let me take myself out of it.
“They do the investigation and then make the recommendation to me.
“I do want to believe that she did make an allegation. Like I said, the officer was out sick.
“So, we…can’t proceed until he is certified to return to work to be interviewed.”
