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Musical crime fighters
WELCOME BAHAMAS - GRAND BAHAMA - 2005
Musical crime fighters
Royal Bahamas Police Force Band
Officers of the Royal Bahamas Police handle a variety of beats, such as crime, traffic and events. But there is a special section of the police force that is responsible for a beat of an entirely different nature. For more than 100 years, the Royal Bahamas Police Force Band has been fulfilling its duty by entertaining audiences in The Bahamas and abroad.
Dressed in crisp white uniforms, (drummers also wear a leopard skin) the Royal Bahamas Police Force Band strikes a memorable impression of pomp and pageantry and each drumbeat echoes a tradition of Bahamian heritage.
A long history of music
The Royal Bahamas Police Force Band is one of the oldest institutions in The Bahamas. Formed in 1893, it originally consisted of 12 members, supplemented by civilian musicians, to provide music during state functions.
The band was dissolved in 1930 due to a lack of funds. Three years later, the music returned following a radio broadcast appealing for police force members to join the band.
Although chiefly made up of police officers, the growing band recruited four civilians to join them. They included trombonist Teddy Richardson, trumpet players Freddie Brown and Ivan Hanna, and euphonium player Maceo Coakley.
These four musicians played with the band during the early 1950s. During this time, the band also received musical direction from the United States Air Force (USAF) Band and the bandmaster from USAF New Mexico.
The band performed its first international performance in Las Vegas in 1962 as part of a tourism promotional campaign.
In 1964, the band officially became a separate and complete unit within the police force. This was followed by the introduction of a steel pan section and pop band.
For the next two decades, the Royal Bahamas Police Force Band was exclusively male, but then the first female member was recruited as a flautist in 1984. In 1988, the band grew with the addition of a string section introducing such instruments as cellos, double basses, violas and violins.
Growth and change
The Royal Bahamas Police Force Band is now made up of 72 officers, both men and women, playing a variety of instruments from bassoons to xylophones.
A pop band was introduced in the 1960s, and the band now consists of three divisions: the concert band, marching band and pop band.
Deputy director of music, Assistant Superintendent Nigel Clarke, explains that each band division represents a different sound and style, appropriate for a variety of venues and appointments.
"The pop band plays more contemporary music for lighter events, while the concert band plays more jazz and classical music," he says.
Meanwhile, the marching band can be seen at official ceremonies, such as the opening of the Supreme Court and the annual Beat Retreat, held in December.
It is the Beat Retreat that is a particular favourite of Clarke's, a 32-year veteran of the band. The Beat Retreat was originally an English military band display consisting of a series of precision drill movements and formations accompanied by military music. During the closing moments, designed to coincide with the sunset, the bugle call is played before the national anthem and national flag lowering ceremony.
The original Beat Retreat was introduced in 1958 by former band master Dennis J Morgan, a retired officer of the Worcestershire Regiment who was recruited by then-Police Commissioner Col E J H Colchester Whymms.
Morgan started the Beat Retreat as an official Christmas season state function, which was held at Rawson Square at sunset. The tradition continues to this day.
Musical ambassadors
Beginning with its first international performance in Las Vegas, the band's travels have included performances in Belgium, Canada, Germany, Holland, Luxembourg, Mexico and Spain, as well as throughout the US, including Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington DC.
In June 2004, the Royal Bahamas Police Force Band was featured during Caribbean Week in New York City, where it performed in Harlem Village, The Waldorf hotel, Bowling Green Complex and the United Nations Headquarters. While in New York the band also performed on Good Morning America.
Through international performances, the Royal Bahamas Police Force Band has established itself as a musical ambassador for The Bahamas. The Ministry of Tourism uses the band for tourism promotion in The Bahamas and abroad. When travelling, the band is usually reduced to about 30 officers.
Keeping up with tradition
Despite a heavy schedule of travel abroad and performances at home, members practice their music daily. They are also encouraged to attend music courses and some have taken exams with the Royal School of Music.
Officers must also juggle band commitments with their regular police duties, which can be a daunting responsibility.
"All of our members are also active duty police officers," says Clarke, who notes that a recent effort to cut down on crime has caused many officers to curtail their band duties.
"We've just had to send about 20 officers (to work) with the CID (Criminal Investigation Department)," he adds.
Nevertheless, Clarke says that being with the police force band has been a highly rewarding career. "I enjoy the camaraderie and the travel, but most of all, I enjoy the music," he says.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force Band can be seen at various engagements throughout The Bahamas, including the Beat Retreat, opening of the Supreme Court and the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Government House.
Contact the Ministry of Tourism for dates and times of performances.
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