A senior police officer, who was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into allegations that he assaulted a man in his custody, has been allowed to retire with full honors.
He is just the latest police officer allowed to go into early retirement, with a full pension, amid controversy.
In early March, a voice note of the assistant superintendent of police beating a man went viral on social media.
The senior cop is heard asking, “You know who I is?”
“You hear me? Put your hands down. Look at me. Look at me,” the officer commands.
The sound of a hard slap is then heard on the voice note.
Amid public outrage, Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle said, “The complaint unit is conducting their investigations into that matter and the officer has been placed on administrative leave.”
“That will go through the due process and I want to say that I don’t support that type of behavior by no officer in the Royal Bahamas Police Force.”
Despite his faux outrage at the time, it seems Rolle took the easy way out and allowed the senior officer to retire with honors instead of following through with his investigation.
It’s not the first time Rolle has allowed a police officer to retire to avoid discipline.
Last year, Superintendent Brian Fernander retired with full honors months after he was placed on leave. Fernander was caught on camera selling overpriced alcohol with government liar Jonathon Ash at Made Men Liquor Store on Faith Avenue while other liquor stores were shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While Rolle prides himself on improving the image of the police force, he is quickly losing credibility in the eyes of Bahamians who find it increasingly difficult to believe the words that come out of his mouth.