More than 170 police officers investigated for misconduct in three years
Almost half of Bermuda’s police officers have been investigated for alleged wrongdoing in the past three years — but the majority of complaints were resolved or dismissed.
Detective Chief Inspector Arthur Glasford, the head of the service’s professional standards department, told The Royal Gazette that the unit had investigated 173 officers since August 2018, when Stephen Corbishley became the Commissioner of Police.
Mr Glasford said that 150 complaints were dealt with through informal resolution or were not upheld.
Four officers were fired, 13 were charged with criminal offences and six faced internal disciplinary action.
Mr Glasford said that two officers had been convicted of criminal offences since August 2018 and 11 officers were still going through the courts.
Mr Glasford, who released the figures to The Royal Gazette in October, said at the time that 19 officers were under investigation by professional standards.
The police were unable to provide updated figures.
The service had 401 officers in September last year, 269 of them Bermudian.
A police spokesman declined to release a list of names of the 13 officers — representing more than 3 per cent of the service — charged with criminal offences.
The spokesman said: “Due to the sensitive nature of these matters and the ongoing investigations being at varying stages of completion, it would not be prudent at this time for the BPS to provide the names of the officers involved or what charges have been brought against them.
“All officers are suspended with full pay.”
The spokesman added: “The 13 officers who have been criminally charged and the six faced with conduct sanctions are the 19 officers who are currently under investigation by the professional standards department.
“There will be no further comment on these matters.”
Mr Corbishley, who resigned for unknown reasons in October, promised to improve standards of conduct over his time in the job.
He claimed in October last year that his crackdown had led to a social media attack against him by a “small minority” of officers under investigation.
Mr Corbishley hired a British police officer, Superintendent Gillian Murray, to lead the disciplinary effort.
Darrin Simons, Deputy Commissioner of Police at the time, e-mailed all officers last September and said that a “legal challenge to Superintendent Murray’s performance of the role” had revealed that she could not act as the “appropriate authority” for decisions on conduct cases because she was not a BPS member.
Mr Simons added that he would review all her decisions.
Ms Murray, who was on secondment, left the island in May to return to the British Transport Police, where she was promoted to Chief Superintendent and made divisional commander for Scotland.
Mr Simons is now the acting Commissioner of Police.
Government House advertised for a replacement for Mr Corbishley and applications closed on November 1.
