What happens to my police pension if .......

We recently had a query from our good friend, retired Inspector Mike Burke, now residing in the Jersey Islands, enquiring about what happens to his Bermuda Police pension in the event of his death before his wife.  He wanted to know if his wife automatically receives a portion of his police pension, and if so, what needs to be done to arrange for the benefits to continue. 

Mike added that he doesn’t have any papers regarding his pension which is also of concern to him.

I believe that many of our police pensioners share the same concerns as Mike whether or not you still reside in Bermuda or you now live abroad, and you probably don’t have documents to say you are entitled to your pension, except for the fact that you still receive it every month!

The following is intended as a guide to all of our members, locally and abroad, and I would like to thank Denina Thomas, at the BPS Human Resources Department, for providing most of this information.

At the end of this summary you will find a copy of Section 8.6 of the PENSION HANDBOOK FOR GOVERNMENT OF BERMUDA EMPLOYEES which outlines  the entitlements of dependents when a pensioner dies.  We understand that the following applies:-

• On the death of a police pensioner, a widow or widower would be entitled to 60% of such pension until re-marriage or death if there are no children. (this mention of children means “dependent children” and does not affect the 60% entitlement if your children are grown up and have flown the nest!

• Once the pensioner expires, the widowed spouse should make immediate contact with the Accountant General’s Department.  The address is Ministry of Finance, Accountant General’s Office, Andrews Place, 51 Church Street, Hamilton HM 12. Their email address is ACGBenefits@gov.bm  Telephone  441-279-2600.

• A death certificate should be forwarded once received, however, it is helpful to note that one should not wait to make contact with the Accountant General’s Department until after the certificate is received as this will hold up the process.

• If the pension is paid into a local bank account, the process in its entirety can take approximately 1-2 months before payments are received.  Alternatively, if pensions are paid into a UK account, the Accountant General’s Department will contact Crown Agents (UK based) and the progression generally takes a little longer – usually 3 months.  

• Pension payments will commence as of the day after the death of the pensioner; despite the time taken to process, funds will be back paid from that identified date.

• For any such instances, please contact the Benefits section of the Accountant General Department atACGBenefits@gov.bm. 

8.6 Death of a pensioner 

When a former employee who is in receipt of a pension dies, a pension is payable to the dependents. 

A widow or widower would be entitled to 60% of such pension until re-marriage or death if there are no children. 

If there are dependent children with no widow or widower they would be entitled to share 60% of the pension (unless there is only one child, in which case he would receive 40% of the pension to which the deceased employee would have been entitled.) 

A widow or widower would be entitled to one-half of such pension until re-marriage or death, and any dependent children would be entitled to share the other half of the pension. 

If there is no widow or widower or no children and the deceased has received his pension for a period of less than five years, his designated beneficiary shall receive the pension for the reminder of the five years. 

If there is no widow or widower or no children and the deceased death occurred before his pension is due to commence, his designated beneficiary shall receive a lump sum payment equal to the greater of: 

a) The deceased’s contributions plus interest earned; or
b) The actuarial equivalent of the value of the pension at the time of the deceased’s death. 

Where there is no designated beneficiary appointed, or where such beneficiary predeceases the deceased the benefit will be paid to the estate of the deceased. 

EDITORS NOTE -  If you have any other queries about your police pension entitlement you can contact us at our Expo email address which is info@expobermuda.com

During her recent visit to Bermuda,  I was escorting my sister and her partner on a tour of the Hamilton Princess when we happened to stop for a drink at their beautiful outdoor bar on the hotel waterfront. Whilst sitting there enjoying a cool drink and gazing at the magnificent view across Hamilton Harbour we were attracted to  the sound of  what I can only describe as “major fish frenzy”  just a few yards away,  directly under the 1609 restaurant. 

Larry feeding gourmet kitchen scraps to the fish

We went over to see what was causing the commotion and discovered a huge shoal of fish fighting like crazy while being fed by a gentleman with a familiar beaming  smile who turned out to be the Hamilton Princess Marina Dockmaster -  our former colleague Sgt. Larry Dean  -  who was feeding them with gourmet kitchen scraps from the restaurant which, incidentally, is one of the finest in Bermuda.

Fish feeding frenzy - but strictly OFF LIMITS

I’ve never seen so many eating-sized fish in one place in Bermuda in all my life, but before you get any ideas please be aware that fishing from the Hamilton Princess Marina is strictly prohibited and the person likely to enforce the rules is Larry who retired from the BPS and  is really enjoying his position at the Dockmaster at the marina. 

Larry followed his uncle, retired P.C. Steve Dean into the BPS. Steve served from 1966-2001.

Young P.C. Steve Dean  -  circa 1966

A graduate of Berkeley Institute,  Larry first put on a police uniform as a Cadet when he joined in 1984  and he attended Basic Training Course #38 along with an elite group of recruits which included now retired Commissioner Michael DeSilva, and our present ACOP Antoine Daniels.

After serving for two years in Western Division, Larry was recruited into Marine Section by then OIC Phil Every,  and as Larry says, he loved working in Marine Section and spent the next 22 years patrolling Bermuda’s waters.  

Larry changed course in 2007 when he was promoted to Sergeant at which time he transferred to Training School as an instructor, and remained in Training School until his retirement  from the BPS  in August 2017.  

Never one to stand still, Larry joined the EOD Team in 1994 and remained on the team until his retirement having become the EOD team leader when Mark Bothello retired.

When asked about his position as the Hamilton Princess Marina Dockmaster, Larry explained that he was approached about the position by management of the hotel around the time he was turning 50, with 5 more years to go before reaching retirement age for the BPS.  With his 22 years of experience in Marine Section this was a great opportunity for Larry who says he loves the job and described it as the perfect move for him personally.

Our chance encounter was a real pleasure and there’s no doubt that Larry made the right move at the right time. And with his friendly and outgoing personality he's also a great ambassador for visitors to the hotel.

We chatted briefly about him writing an article for our "Then and Now” column describing his experiences in the BPS and I have no doubt he will have some fascinating stories to tell. We look forward to hearing more from Larry about his 33 years of dedicated service in the BPS.