PSA 20 from King Of Hearts Media on Vimeo.

SuperCop Greenslade told officers straighten up and fly right and get in the fight!

FREEPORT, Grand Bahama – Commissioner of Police, Ellison Greenslade on Monday asked new police graduates to stand with him without fear; he also admonished that if they had nothing good to say about The Bahamas, say nothing at all.

The Commissioner was addressing Police Graduates 2014 Squad B during their Graduation Ceremony and Passing Out Parade in Freeport. There were 32 members of the graduating class. R/C Antoinette Fox received the ‘Baton of Honor’ and the ‘Commandant’s Award.’

Commissioner Greenslade spoke to the graduates as their leader, and also as a Bahamian who dedicated himself at a young age to the service of this country. He said: “And now I’m going to say Grand Bahama, to all of those people, and graduates, I’m asking you to stand with your Commissioner without trepidation, if you have nothing good to say about this Commonwealth of The Bahamas, don’t say anything. This is the only place I have that I can call home as a Bahamian. I have nowhere else to go. At the age of 18 and-a-half, I dedicated myself to the service of this country. I don’t rape people, I don’t rob people, I don’t steal from people, my wife does not and none of my children. Are you listening? I started by telling you that the people we arrest for crimes are Bahamians. They come from homes in The Bahamas, all over this country.

“Watch how you point your fingers. Take control of yourselves, take control of your homes, take control of your street corner, go to church and be respectful to your pastor. Let’s get rid of this spirit of overthrowing. And I’m going to continue to stand as a proud young Bahamian man against anyone who has come into this jurisdiction to tell me or any officer that we are not competent enough and we are not capable of doing the job. I stand against you.”

During his remarks, Commissioner Greenslade encouraged the graduates to be honest and true to the uniform of the Police Force and not let their family and friends down.

He said in the fight against crime, the people of Grand Bahama and the Northern Bahamas, heard the cry and have given their loved ones. The graduates to be encouraged to do well at all times, he said. “Please I ask you to beg them to keep their hands clean, to keep their noses clean, and to keep their hearts pure. A wicked police officer, hiding as a wolf in sheep’s clothing in our uniform, cannot serve the people of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. I’m going to say again, a wicked police officer hiding as a wolf in sheep’s clothing, in our uniform, cannot serve the people of The Bahamas.”

Expressing love for the officers, the Commissioner added that as much as he loves them, if they do the wrong thing, he will take their uniforms. “As much as I love you graduates, as much as I love you. And you know I love you. I believe I’m one of the first Commissioners on the scene to speak so comfortably about love – publically and privately, and to speak so comfortably about God, and I make no excuses for it – publically and privately, you know I carry you in my heart. But I tell you, as sure as I stand here this afternoon, if you run afoul of the law, if you let the people of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas down, I cannot hear my Minister cry, I cannot hear your parent’s plea, I cannot hear from any reverend or Bishop in this country. I am going to take my uniform from you.

“That is not a mean statement. That is a sensitization statement. We need your help.”

Stating that there are no excuses, the Commissioner shared that he did not know his own father, but a man named Greenslade who loved his mom, married her and took care of all of the children. For that, he continued, he loves him. “Gratitude is due ladies and gentlemen, and I am so proud to wear his name.”

He said, “Don’t you make excuses about things are tough, I don’t know my daddy, thing’s ain’t good. Get off that. You have a brain in your head, use it. We need you to step up and make your best contributions every day in the service of the people of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. If you cannot do it, take your uniforms off. Take it off.

“Moms and dads, I’m going to ask you, if you see your children mixing with bad characters and doing things that you know do not line up properly with decency and order, you should pack up their uniforms so that when they return home to put it on, there ain’t none to put on and you bring it to us. ACP Seymour, keep your door open with a little cupboard to receive the uniform.

“I know this sounds tough, but it has to be tough. It needs to be tough love because we cannot afford to lose any more of you, and I have had to fire too many rogue police officers who have not listened. ACP Seymour said you have been told, you have been told, you have been told and he continued to say that for effect.”