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Newly appointed Commissioner of Police Clayton Fernander openly questioned Former Commissioner Paul Rolle’s motive to express his displeasure with the Minnis administration’s decision to place senior officers on leave.

“Why wait until now to highlight that to the members of the public? Fernander who was one of the senior officers sidelined, asked as he appeared as a guest on Global Paradigm Shift with Michelle Malcolm.

Before his retirement, Rolle made headlines last week when he revealed that the Minnis administration pressured him to sideline senior police officers known as ‘PLP operatives’ in 2019 and assign them to various ministries.

Malcolm suggested that perhaps Rolle, who handed the reins of power to Fernander on Tuesday, thought that it was safer to reveal it before his exit

“I guess he figure, he going now, they can’t do him nothing,” Malcolm said.

Fernander retorted, “But why wait now? Why now?”

Malcolm then suggested that Rolle could have “shame them (Minnis administration) then and come out then and say it.” To which Fernander responded, “Exactly.”

Rolle shockingly revealed that the political pressure nearly caused him to resign as Commissioner of Police.

“I think the relationship was getting a little tense because of my stance,” he told a daily.

“I refused to do it. I said, ‘You give me something in writing and I will carry out your instructions. Without that, I’m not going to do it.’”

The senior officers were eventually returned to their posts when the Progressive Liberal Party won the General Election in 2021, one of whom, Leamond Deleveaux was promoted to Deputy Commissioner on Wednesday.

Clayton Fernander was sworn in on Tuesday as the country’s 9^th Commissioner of Police, replacing outgoing Commissioner Paul Rolle.

Rolle resigned from the police force with nearly forty years of service and handed the reins to Fernander who was appointed Deputy Commissioner in December 2021 after the Progressive Liberal Party was sworn in as the new government.

Leamond Deleveaux who was sent on leave with Fernander was appointed Deputy Commissioner.

Fernander’s appointment comes at a time when the country is dealing with troubling murder rates which are hitting unprecedented numbers. Seventy-four murders have been recorded so far for the year.

Here’s what to know about Fernander:

1. While serving on the police force, Fernander was known for his connection to the Progressive Liberal Party and may have suffered for it when the Free National Movement was elected in 2017. He and three other officers holding top posts were eventually sent on leave in 2019 which many argue was a political move.
2. Fernander was reappointed when the Progressive Liberal Party became the new government and became Deputy Commissioner.
3. Prime Minister Philip Davis said Fernander is “the right man for the job.”
4. He joined the police force in 1982, serving in traffic and the criminal investigation department, and once headed the Central Detective Unit before his promotion to Assistant Commissioner
5. He was shot multiple times at his home, in an attempted armed robbery in 2013, sustaining injuries to his arm and upper body. “…I can recall and reflect back when I was a victim where I had arrived home and individuals were there waiting for me and held [me] up and robbed me, and [shot me] during that time, so it’s never a good thing look down the barrel of a firearm.”

Following the 24-hour weekend lockdown and the implementation of the 7 pm curfew, Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle said the number of citations issued by police officials, have reduced drastically.

Speaking to reporters at the Police Community Outreach on Fox Hill Park, Rolle said the message is “getting across,” as only 5 persons were ticketed in New Providence over the weekend.

“Most people have been in compliance…We hope this is soon over to move our lives back to normalcy.”

Why it matters

Hundreds of people have appeared before the Magistrate’s Court, imprisoned and fined for violating the national curfew and lockdown measures.

Social gatherings reduced

Rolle said while there were no reports of parties in New Providence, police cited lawbreakers in the Family Islands, some of whom held parties despite the COVID-19 measures. He said one particular violator in Exuma was “dealt with.”

Parties continue to be a major concern and a suspect in the spread of the infectious virus in the country. Police say they will continue to clamp down on these events.

Minnis said last month, “I want to again discourage large social gatherings and parties. We are able to relax or we must implement more restrictive measures depending on what we do together to limit the spread of COVID-19, which you see from the news is still very much out of control in many countries in the world.”

The big picture

The country hit more than 5000 cases over the holiday weekend. A 24-hour lockdown and new 7 pm curfew were enforced in New Providence and Abaco to reduce infections as the country averages one death per day.

Countries that do not adhere to COVID-19 protocols are at risk of faster contract cases and exponential increases in COVID-19.