More than 300 retired police officers are preparing to sue the government for over $100 million in owed gratuity.

In fact, attorney Glendon Rolle said a writ will be filed in the Supreme Court sometime this week.

He explained that gratuity is paid to police officers as compensation for their “due diligence” over the years.

The officers are being represented by Mr. Rolle, Wilver Deleveaux and Marie Daxon.

According to Mr. Rolle, for more than 40 years there has been a “blatant denial” of the police officers’ constitutional right.

He added that there tends to be a referral to the Police Pensions Act when officers receive their pension letters, however, Mr. Rolle said that this Act does not exist.

“In the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, we do not have a Police Pensions Act, I’ve never heard of it and unless the commissioner of police or the public service have just estranged those, we need to know where it’s hidden because there is no such thing,” he said.

“On those fraudulent pretences, in what we call blatant pretences that they are relying on in the law that doesn’t exist in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, we say pay the gratuities and it’s been calculated to date that over $100 million is owing to retired police officers.”

According to Mr. Rolle, the commissioner of police and the Department of Public Service Commission have been given sufficient time to respond to letters sent to them last December.

“We’ve given the commissioner of police an opportunity to respond to this, to act amicably, today they have failed,” Mr. Rolle added.

“We have also written to the Department of Public Service Commission, they have sent us a letter in response and said that it is a matter of the commissioner of police and the minister of national security.”

He added that police officers may be the only public servants who do not receive gratuity with their pensions and that it is disrespectful to the former police officers as well as the people they served.

Retired police officer Shannon Bannister who served 25 years on the force, said when he retired 13 years ago and inquired about gratuity, he was told no one before him ever got gratuity.

The attorney added that from his knowledge only retired inspectors or those at higher ranks received gratuity in the past.

According to Mr. Rolle, the government should explain why gratuity is reportedly given according to rank.

The attorney is encouraging other retired officers to come forward if they have not received their gratuities.

He added that trips will be made to the Family Islands to consult other retired police officers.