The Bahamas was originally settled by the
Lucayan people before they were depopulated by
Spanish slave raids in the 16th century; the islands were subsequently colonised by
English settlers over the course of the 17th century, beginning with
Independent Parliamentarians driven out of
Bermuda as the
Eleutheran Adventurers during the
Civil War. In 1718, the Bahamas became a
crown colony of the
Kingdom of Great Britain after the British clamped down on
piracy in the Caribbean. During the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the development of policing in the Bahamas followed
patterns in Britain. Law enforcement personnel consisted of
constables, who assisted in enforcing government rules and regulations and apprehended offenders, and
night watchmen, who patrolled the streets of Bahamian settlements at nighttime. The town of
Nassau had a night watch and, as early as 1729, a constable existed in
New Providence, where he worked in concert with the settlement's
magistrate,
justices of the peace and several other government officials. In 1799, the
Bahamas General Assembly passed an act which declared that all constables would have the same powers as their counterparts in Great Britain, which included the right to arrest an individual on the basis of
reasonable suspicion. In 1827, the General Assembly passed another act which clarified the mode of appointment for constables. During this period, only one constable was appointed to serve in each
district. These appointments were made by the incumbent magistrate in each district with the assistance of two justices of the peace. As time passed and crime increased, the constables appointed to serve at the same time increased; however, they were never organised into a formal
police force. Each constable reported to the magistrate of a particular district. This system eventually evolved into the currently used positions of district and local constables. In 1833, the
Parliament of the United Kingdom passed the
Slavery Abolition Act 1833, which abolished slavery in most of the British Empire; this eventually led to the dissolution of the night watch in New Providence. On 1 March 1840, the Bahamas Police Force (BPF) was formed by sixteen men under the command of
Inspector-General John Pinder. Many of these men were former members of the night watch and, with the exception of Pinder, they were all formerly enslaved. The BPF, like the
Metropolitan Police which preceded it, was intended to provide a non-military alternative to suppressing disorder, and operated an around-the-clock service in New Providence. Several years later, a number of BPF officers were transferred to other islands in the Bahamas. By December 1840, the BPF's strength consisted of one inspector-general and a total of thirty
sergeants,
corporals and
privates (the latter rank holding the same position as constables). The BPF was eventually granted the prefix "Royal" by
the Crown. In the 21st century, the RBPF has over 4,000 officers and civilian employees and provides policing services to all residents and visitors in the Bahamas. == Commissioners of Police ==