By Lededra Marche, The Freeport News
The Freeport News – Grand Bahama welcomed its newest top cop while at the same time bidding farewell to another during an official hand-over ceremony on Thursday, as both men, who were only promoted the day before, braced themselves for their new roles.
Deputy Commissioner Quinn McCartney returned to the capital after calling the nation’s second city home for the last 16 months, while Acting Assistant Commissioner Emrick Seymour travelled back home, having been resident in the capital for the equal amount of time.
McCartney, who took up the chief post in Grand Bahama in 2010 after Senior Assistant Commissioner Marvin Dames left to fill the position of Deputy Commissioner, again follows in Dames’ footsteps to fill the post Dames left vacant last week.
During the ceremony which took place Thursday in the conference room of the Gerald A. Bartlet Complex before the high-ranking officers in the district, Deputy Commissioner McCartney and Acting Asst. Commissioner Seymour signed the hand-over document symbolizing the historic-making moment.
McCartney then explained what his next course of action would be.
“Having been appointed to this position, I am now required to return to Nassau to assume that post and so this morning I am here to hand over the district to Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police, who officially assumed responsibility of the district as of Wednesday,” he said.
The new deputy commissioner thanked the commanders and members of the force in Grand Bahama for their overwhelming support, add-ing that the successes they as a body had achieved was a result of the hard work and cooperation of everyone.
“i want to say that my tenure here has been very enjoyable. i will go on record as saying that when i was told initially that i was supposed to come to Grand Bahama, I resisted, resisted seriously,” he said.
“Yesterday when i was informed that i was being promoted, if I could have I would have resisted going back to Nassau, because i thoroughly enjoyed my tenure here in Grand Bahama.”
McCartney also thanked the residents for the warm welcome and the feeling of appreciation.
“From the day i arrived i felt truly welcomed. i felt a part of the community right away,” the second in command said.
He noted that the support from the media has also been overwhelming.
“They were always available at short notice, assisted us and, for the most part, gave us good, positive coverage. but i must say that, in all respects, the coverage was fair,” he added.
“So when we needed to be criticized and when we needed to be slapped on our wrist, that was done, but it was fair and I want to thank the media for their overwhelming support and the coverage that they have given us over the years, in the year, in particular that I was here.”
Humbled by the appointment and acknowledging that he owes everything that has taken place in his life to God, Seymour thanked his superiors for their trust and confidence in him and giving him the opportunity to lead the Grand Bahama district.
“The Grand Bahama District is no stranger to me, having worked here extensively throughout my career and for the better part of my career and, of course, rising through the ranks. Also I was involved intimately in the administration of the Grand Bahama District in recent years,” he said.
“So I know Grand Bahama and Grand Bahama knows me. i know all of the officers, 99 percent of them here and they know me. I know the community of Grand Bahama and the community of Grand Bahama knows me and so I think it’s a perfect fit, if you can call it that.”
The new top cop noted that it is a position he does not take lightly and pledged to do his utmost to ensure that Grand Bahama and the officers working in the district maximize their policing resources to ensure the people of Grand Bahama get what they deserve.
That, he said, is quality policing services.
“They don’t deserve any less. So going forward you will definitely see that —?an enhancement of our policing efforts in the Grand Bahama district to ensure that we maximize the policing services here in the district,” said Seymour and thanked McCartney for the contribution his administration has made over the last 18 months.
