NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Police reserve officers who manned shelters in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian claim they have still not been fully paid what they are owed some two years later.
Reserve officers worked at shelters to house relocated storm victims in New Providence from October 2019 up to June 2020.
The officers claim that while they were paid for a set portion of their hours, the difference was paid at a reserve stipend rate. They contend their pay should have been set at the same rate as a member of the Force of equivalent rank because they were mobilized.
“We talk about care, integrity, and trust,” one officer said.
“There is no integrity in the higher level of the force. If the commissioner gave me a lawful order, I cannot question and say to him to put it in writing. We were asked to carry out a job because it was necessary and now everyone playing the fool.”
The officer continued: “It’s a sore thumb with me and other officers because you get a lawful order. We worked every day, five days, for 9 months. Two days off and even holidays, when a career officer is off on holiday and have to work, he got days owed back, we work holidays and got nothing extra. Discovery day, Christmas, New Years, Easter, Labor Day weekends. We worked shifts 8am-4pm, 4pm-12am, 12am-8am, around the clock manning the shelters. We prevented so many things from happening, if people only knew. We put ourselves at disadvantage, we put ourselves at risk, and then our police department playing the fool.
The officer also pointed to a separate matter concerning promotions with officers claiming they were promoted late last year, but have not yet been paid those increases.
According to documents seen by Eyewitness News, Superintendent in charge of Hurricane Shelter Management Matthew Davis wrote to acting Police Commissioner Paul Rolle on behalf of the police reserve officers at Bahamas Academy and Sir Kendal GL Isaac Gymnasium, on February 7, 2020.
Davis explained that he and other reserve officers were called to a meeting by Commissioner of Police Anthony Ferguson on October 6, 2019.
He said Ferguson instructed him to take the leadership role as supervisor and Hurricane Shelter Manager for both shelters and asked him to submit a list of reserve officers to perform duties at the shelters.
Davis said he was told reserve officers “will receive a different pay from the monthly stipend, (for example) and I quote; all of the reservists who work at the shelters will be mobilized”.
Davis continued: “Sir, to my understanding, the word mobilization is the act of assembling Reserve forces for active duty in times of national emergency or disaster. According to the Police Act section 82 and I quote: With the prior approval of the Governor-General the Commissioner may mobilize the Reserve or any part of the Reserve and during such period of mobilization every member of the Reserve shall be entitled to pay and allowances at the same rate as a member of the Force of equivalent rank.”
In his letter, Davis lamented the past four months had been hard on the officers who were risking their health and safety without being paid any special salary.
“They have been working diligently around the clock keeping the social workers and evacuees safe in spite of them not being paid. All of the officers are frustrated and angry and are threatening to discontinue their service to the shelters, but I continued to encourage them to work,” he said.
Davis noted that while 32 police reserve officers were initially assigned to man the shelters, there are only 18 officers left. He said nine officers discontinued their service from the shelters on October 18, 2019.
Then-Minister of National Security Marvin Dames said more than $100,000 was paid out in overtime to reserve officers who manned the shelters during his contribution to the 2020/2021 budget in June 2020.
He explained that the money budgeted for those officers was insufficient as they worked more than their set hours, adding that Cabinet had approved a reallocation of funds to facilitate the overtime payments..
“[Post-Dorian], what we had to do in order to ensure that we make maximum use of our defense force and police officers on Abaco and Grand Bahama, we had to reduce the numbers at the centers,” Dames said at the time.
“It so happened that a number of these (reserve) officers worked beyond the prescribed, I think it is 130 hours a month or somewhere around that.
“And so, the police force was only budgeted to pay them for that period. And so, the commissioner then made a request, because it was not in his budget, Mr. Speaker, for a certain amount of funds based on the hours worked. That document was then taken to Cabinet.”
The matter was again raised last year February in the House of Assembly during a heated exchange between Englerston MP Glenys Hanna-Martin and then-Minister of National Security Marvin Dames.
At the time, Dames said a paper was presented to Cabinet at the end of 2020 “in respect to the overtime payments for police reservists, that was approved by Cabinet and sent back to the Royal Bahamas Police Force”.
Dames said he was later advised by the police commissioner that “there is nothing outstanding owing to the reserves in respect to overtime, as a result of the time or worked during Dorian”.
Yesterday, National Security minister Wayne Munroe said the Davis administration has to contend with the “sometimes unorthodox way that the previous administration did business”.
He noted that a mobilization order would need to be signed off on by the Governor-General, and questioned why officers would commit to working without formal documentation.
“And so if they know that they were required as a process, to have something in writing by the Governor General and they work without having it, I suppose the risk is that you wouldn’t be paid,” he added.
Munroe said he was not aware of the latest developments in this matter but noted the officers would need to provide supporting documentation to the police in support of their claim if they feel they are owed more.
