Commissioner of police Anthony Ferguson said the morale of the Royal Bahamas Police Force is strong.

This comment follows  instructions to  eight senior officers  to take their accrued vacation and for some retirement immediately after.

He said, “just judge from what you see here this afternoon and you as a citizen of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, you be the judge. The police force is functioning quite well.”

When pressed by the media on the restructuring of the RBPF Commissioner Ferguson said, “the Minister of National Security was in the news and I think that is sufficient for the public to be able to understand.”

With the departure of eight of the RBPF’s top brass, some  members of the public opined that the RBPF  will not  be able to meet all of its mandates. The Commissioner denied that claim.

“We were working from 1840, and we will be working every single day. The Police Force has a mandate by law, the maintainers of law and order, the prevention and protection of crime and I’m pretty sure that you see the number of vehicles that are out on the road in the evening and that  speaks for itself.”

Almost a month ago,  three other senior officers received the same letters and will retire upon completion of their vacation.

The last  five to receive letters  include Officer in charge of Criminal Investigation ACP Clayton Fernander, Officer in Charge of Uniformed Officers ACP Ashton Greenslade, Officer in Charge of Operational Support ACP Ken Strachan, Officer in Charge of Public Safety ACP Leamond Deleveaux, and  the officer in charge of the Police Tribunal ACP Theophulus Cunningham.

These five joined DPC Emerik Seymour, ACP Stephen Dean and ACP Clarence Reckley, husband of Former Deputy Director of Urban Renewal Michelle Reckley.

Mrs Reckley appeared   before the courts last month of a linty of fraud related charges.

National Security Minister Marvin Dames has said that none of these officers being placed on leave was because of political victimization.