The Tribune

OFFICIALS of the Police Division of the Bain and Grant’s Town Urban Renewal Project Office (West) and the Boys Club of The Bahamas teamed up Friday to provide an unusual treat for 15 boys of the Bain and Grant’s Town Community during the recent mid-term break by arranging a bicycle tour of some parts of New Providence.

Inspector Anthony Rolle, Officer-in-Charge of the Police Division of the Bain and Grant’s Town Project Office, said the tour allowed the boys – who are also members of the recently-formed Bain and Grant’s Town Boys’ Bicycle Club – the opportunity to not only learn more about their island, but to also test their Road Safety knowledge.

Inspector Rolle, Rev Sammy Rolle, head of the Boys Club of The Bahamas and an advisor with the Bain and Grant’s Town Urban Renewal Project Office, and Police Officers attached to the Urban Renewal Project Office, chaperoned the boys.

The 15 had to attain “certification” before being allowed to participate in the tour, which made a stop at the Hugh Campbell Basketball Tournament, “to catch a few of the games courtesy of the Bain and Grant’s Town Urban Renewal Project Office”.

“Many of the boys who rode with us today have never been outside of the Bain and Grant’s Town community and so organising this tour gave us an opportunity to expose them to some of the various other communities/neighbourhoods that comprise New Providence and secondly, provide them with some supervision during the break,” Inspector Rolle said.

“Rather than having them wandering about the community unsupervised as a result of their parents having to work, we thought a bicycle tour would be a fun way to help them manage their time off from school in a positive way, while learning about other neighbourhoods and, of course, getting in some exercise.”

Inspector Rolle said the tour “falls in line” with Priority Three of Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade’s policing plan for 2013 that calls for the “positive engagement of our young people”.

Component Five of that Plan is for the launch of “Ride with Pride (RWP)” programmes to support young bicyclists during weekends and summer breaks. This is expected to be accomplished through collaboration with “the relevant government and private sporting organisations”.

Other key components of Priority Three, he said, “is for the continuation of the Summer Youth Programme (SYP); the establishment of a Community Support Fund (CSF) to offset the cost of the police summer youth programme and to fund a myriad of initiatives which we manage over the course of the year in full support of our children; Continue to support Community Crime Prevention Bands (CCPB) and form new bands in communities where they do not now exist, and the establishment of sports programmes that will take advantage of the infrastructure that we now have in place at Police Divisions throughout The Bahamas.”

Additional initiatives include dedicating resources to support the Bahamas Football Association’s efforts to engage young people in communities across The Bahamas in their quest for healthier lifestyles and positive youth engagement; continuing the Force’s support for Bahamas Against Crime, LEAD, PACE, Teen Challenge, Great Commissions Ministries, Simpson Penn School for Boys and Girls, and other legitimate organisations that are working to make our communities safer, in addition to working closely with the Ministry of Education and all schools to educate students and young people about crime and personal safety, among many other initiatives.

Inspector Rolle said the boys were selected from among the membership of the Bain and Grant’s Town Boys Bike Club that was launched in December, 2012, with 30 members ranging in ages from five to 16 years.

He said the membership roll now stands at “almost 100”. He said officials are in the process of “securing” additional bicycles to meet enrolment figures.

“What you see here today is just a small group of the boys who are enrolled in the Club,” Rev Rolle said.

“This is a great opportunity for not only them, but for us who are supervising them because it gives both groups an opportunity to bond and fellowship in positive activities.

“This can only prove to be beneficial for the boys and our communities over the long haul,” Rev Rolle added.