801. Police officers below the rank of Assistant Superintendent will be reported on every six months.

802. The reporting officer will be the most senior officer in contact with the officer concerned, during the period covered by the report.

803. Reporting officers will complete Part I of the report; Part 11 will be completed by the Head of Department, and Part III by the Permanent Secretary where the Department is organized under a Permanent Secretary.

804. Permanent Secretaries will report on Heads of Departments and will complete Parts II and III of the report.

805. The Secretary to the Cabinet will report on Permanent Secretaries.

806. Reports on temporary staff are not required.

807. The Public Service Commission may at any time require a confidential report on any officer.

808. Confidential reports must be prepared in handwriting, in duplicate and taken under cover and by hand of the reporting officer to the countersigning officer who will forward the original under confidential cover to the Director of Public Personnel for onward transmission to the Public Service commission.

809. The copy of each report will be retained by the Permanent Secretary, or Head of Department in his personal custody. copies of previous reports shall not be referred to when a current report is being written.

810. The substance of any adverse comment on an officer's work or conduct included in a report must be conveyed to him in writing by the Permanent Secretary or Head of Department in sympathetic terms and with the object of enabling and encouraging him to overcome his shortcomings. The fact that this action has been taken will be stated in the report itself, together with any written observations the officer has made.

811. It is essential in the general interest of the Service that confidential reports should be detailed and candid. Reporting officers must realize that their own incapability are discernible from the reports that they write on their subordinates . Reporting and countersigning officers must pay careful attention to the instructions on the report forms, particularly the statement that disagreement with the assessments by the reporting officer may be indicated by the counter signing officer.

812. Three months before final expiry of the period of service of an officer appointed under contract made with the Crown Agents a Confidential Report on his service and conduct whilst in the Colony will be forwarded under confidential cover direct to the Chairman, Public Service Commission for transmission to the overseas Development Administration. The report should cover the following points:

(1) Personal qualities bearing and intellectual ability; (2) Personal relationships at work and man management;

(3) Sense of judgment and willingness to accept responsibilities;

(4) Special experience which may be of value to a prospective employer;

(5) Where applicable professional or technical ability;

(6) Social qualities and outside interests.

813. All Government servants may, if they so wish, be furnished on leaving the Service with a Certificate of Service. Certificates of Service require the counter signature of the appropriate authority. The main purpose of a Certificate of Service is that it may be used as a reference covering the holder Government service when seeking other employment. Accordingly a Certificate should contain that information which a prospective employer might fairly expect to obtain from the person who had previously employed the holder. in no circumstance may a Government servant who leaves the Service be provided with a personal testimonial other than this.

814. Valedictory letters may be sent to Government servants who retire after long and valuable service. Such letters to Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Departments may be sent at the Governor-General's discretion; they may be sent to other senior officers at the discretion of the Director of Public Personnel, and in the case of all other officers, the decision in this matter will be taken, by the Permanent Secretary or the Head of Department where there is no Permanent Secretary.

In making its decision on applications for special treatment made under General Order 903, the Government will be guided amongst other things by this except from paragraph 2 of Chapter 14 of the Recent Salaries Report:-

Finally, since it is Government's policy to keep open for the Bahamian public all those opportunities of employment for which they are fitted, it is entirely inappropriate that Public Officers should compete with the general public for private employment.'

(Extract 1969 Salaries Report)