The leaders of the two major political  parties locked  horns in the House of Assembly yesterday over the structure of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) and  allegations of its politicization. 

The issue was brought to the forefront during Opposition leader Philp Davis’ contribution to debate on a proposed amendment to the Police Staff Association Act. 

Mr. Davis  drew on the government’s decision to place several top officers  on leave, which he  condemned as a purging of the RBPF, an accusation Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis vehemently denied charging that he only knew the officers’  political affiliation when Mr. Davis made it known. 

To this, Mr. Davis noted that more officers  exist on the police force with the same accumulated vacation leave.

He said, “Do you want me to give you a list of others you could have let go, and send home too like that? That’s because you were selective in this process,” he told the Prime Minister.

While the Cat Island MP and Progressive Liberal Party leader  did not provide any concrete evidence to support this claim, Transport Minister Renward Wells can be heard exclaiming that “we can’t send all of them home at once”. 

Prime Minister  Minnis said, “The government looked at different agencies where individuals have an accumulation of vacation leave.

“I’m  trying to find out now from the Ministry of Finance how much millions of dollars we spend annually on vacation leave. For individuals who refuse to take vacation leave;  we know what happens.”

The Prime Minister added that he refuses to pay individuals for vacation by allowing them to take accrued vacation following retirement,  as he is not spending the government’s money in this regard. 

The proposed amendment to the Police Staff Association Act is to extend the tenure for elected executive board members from one to two years enabling them to become familiar with their positions and be more effective in their roles.