The Nassau Guardian
Munroe: RBPF creating ‘dangerous system of work’
Wayne Munroe, the attorney representing the Police Staff Association (PSA), said yesterday the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) may be liable for creating a “dangerous system of work” for officers.
Munroe said he is worried that police officers’ extended 12-hour shift would leave armed officers fatigued, which could be dangerous for them and the public.
He said his law firm will soon interview police officers who have recently been involved in traffic accidents to determine if the incidents were a result of work fatigue. He said his firm may file lawsuits against the government on their behalf.
According to Munroe, police officers have been placed on 12-hour shifts, five consecutive days a week, which is against the normal practice.
“Wherever you have people working 12-hour shifts, they usually work three days on and then maybe a day or two off because the concern is of stress and fatigue and its effect on the human body,” Munroe said.
“The concern, since a lot of policemen are armed, is the attentiveness and everything that goes with having tired, armed policemen on duty. That’s a very real liability issue to the public.”
The PSA has been demanding extra compensation for officers who were placed on 12-hour shifts in early September in response to a rise in the level of violent crimes.
Government officials have said the staff association is not a union and is handling the concerns inappropriately.
Last week, Minister of National Security Keith Bell said he sympathizes with officers, but added that the 12-hour shift in the police force is nothing new.
But Munroe said while officers are committed to their duties they should not be overworked and overstressed.
“No employer, not even the police force, can create a dangerous system of work for their employees. Policemen are faced with the dangers inherent in their duties and they don’t have a problem with that, but what a person cannot do is then create a dangerous circumstance by introducing fatigue into it.
“Could you imagine if you have a fatigued policeman on the convoy that comes from the prison, and there is a serious crash and members of the public are struck and killed?
“Well the policeman won’t be responsible because he is fatigued. the person who would be responsible is the person who puts him in the position of being fatigued.”
PSA Chairman Inspector Dwight Smith said yesterday the association plans to hold a press conference with their attorney tomorrow to discuss their concerns.
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