February 2005
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Beware the 'Leave of Absence'
The termination of a
Trinidadian Police officer from the Bermuda Police Service and the process
preceding it were both deemed fair by Puisne Judge Geoffrey Bell yesterday.
The
officer
formerly of Trinidad and Tobago, applied for a job with the Bermuda
Police Service in 2003. His contract was to be for five years, and Bermuda
Police Commissioner considered that to fulfil the
services of the contract Mr. Williams would have to resign from the Trinidadian
force.
In a letter detailing a conditional offer to Mr. Williams, his resignation
from the Trinidadian force or a five-year release from service was deemed
necessary for him to fulfil the terms of his contract. The Trinidad and Tobago
Ministry of National Security was only able to grant him an initial leave of
three years, however, saying an application could be made in the future for a
further two years of absence. That application, a letter from the Ministry
implied, was a mere formality.
That was not good enough
for the Commissioner who made a recommendation
to the Public Services Commission (PSC) to terminate Mr. Williams' contract. The
PSC accepted his recommendation, and the contract was terminated.
It was stated that there was a discretion with the
Commissioner to act with or without reference to the PSC.
Comment:
To UK officers: Resign or
obtain a 5 year leave of absence - anything else and you could find yourself
kicked out, without a job. We question whether this would apply to anyone who
they actually wanted on the island - was there another reason why this Trinidad
& Tobago officer was not permitted to stay?
Apparently the Bermuda
service is desperate for recruits - misrepresentation has apparently been
entered into in an attempt to lure British officers to the island. It is
also alleged that the service has dropped the standards for recruitment in an
attempt to entice Bermudian officers - apparently
hiring anyone who comes in; a
large number of women,
parking ticket girls, etc.
Just what / who will you be
working alongside, what experience and ability? Do you wish to rsik your
reputation and future on this island?
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