NOT FORGOTTEN: Customs promotions in the pipeline, says minister

NOT FORGOTTEN: Customs promotions in the pipeline, says minister
Customs officers on New Providence, Grand Bahama and the Family Islands stage a sickout on Tuesday, December 21, 2021, in protest of what they suggested was a “lack of advancements” at the department.

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — While several law enforcement agencies have already undergone promotional exercises, Minister of State for the Public Service Pia Glover-Rolle on Tuesday assured customs officers they have not been forgotten and the process is underway.

Minister of State for the Public Service Pia Glover-Rolle.

Speaking to reporters outside Cabinet, Glover-Rolle said she started conversations with customs officers as early as last week regarding the matter. 

“In the first 100 days, we have started to look at a number of agencies across the public service. Customs is on the agenda for January,” she said.

“It’s the entire public service that we are looking at, so while everybody wants to be first in line, it was simply impossible. 

“…Customs should look forward to being looked at very shortly and, hopefully, we will get that promotional exercise quickly completed.”

Officers in the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, Royal Bahamas Police Force and Department of Immigration have recently had promotional exercises.

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Customs should look forward to being looked at very shortly and, hopefully, we will get that promotional exercise quickly completed.

– Minister of State for Public Service Pia Glover-Rolle

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Several senior police offers were promoted, along with an additional 25 chief superintendents, 60 superintendents, 87 assistant superintendents, 98 inspectors, 325 sergeants and 325 corporals.

Glover-Rolle noted on Tuesday that the Davis administration has established units within the public service to work with the current model, which is simply not moving quickly enough. 

“We are going to have special focus units that are going to look at promotions, that’s going to [look at] making persons permanent and pensionable, that is going to look at assessment and career path development, which will help with more frequent promotional exercises,” she said.

About Sloan Smith

Sloan Smith is a senior digital reporter at Eyewitness News, covering a diverse range of beats, from politics and crime to environment and human interest. In 2018, Sloan received a nomination for the “Leslie Higgs Feature Writer of The Year Award” from The Bahamas Press Club for her work with Eyewitness News.