The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

POLICE have arrested two men in connection with the murder of 34-year-old Queen’s College teacher and mother of two, Joyelle McIntosh, Commissioner Ellison Greenslade revealed yesterday.

Without discussing the men’s identities, he said that they are also being questioned in connection with the November 13 murder of a 30-year-old autistic man, Demyko Forbes.

Flanked by senior officers, Mr Greenslade made his comments at Gaol Alley yesterday against the backdrop of patrols carried out by heavily armed officers of the Select Enforcement Team (SET).

Two days after his plea to Bahamians to help officers capture people wanted for serious crimes, he said that the media’s publicising yesterday of 14 men wanted for murders in the capital has resulted in some success, with at least five of the men – Jamal McSweney, Rashad Bethel, James Williams, Johnny Mackey and Kerrie Lightbourne – either being captured or surrendering yesterday.

“I deem it important to come quickly back to tell you of the tremendously good work that has been done given your full support with respect to the appeals that have been done since a day ago,” he said.

“Since the appeal for parents, attorneys and friends to assist in this crime fight and turn these bad people in, people that have committed crimes and that were wanted for crimes that are egregious (have been captured or have turned themselves in). Because of our special team, we were able to recover three high-powered weapons with extended magazine capacities. We recovered a significant number of dangerous drugs, more specifically marijuana.

“Can I give you a guarantee that nothing else bad will happen? I cannot. What I can give you a guarantee is that we will toil late into the night and into the wee hours of the morning so that we restore some safety and security to this country.

“Everywhere that we’ve gone … people in communities all across New Providence are saying ‘thank you Jesus, thank you I feel secure to see you. Please stay, please come again’ and hence we are going to continue all day and all night for as long as it takes.”

As for the investigation into the death of Ms McIntosh, Mr Greenslade said: “We have taken into custody two persons which we believe will now bring closure to the unfortunate murder of the teacher you heard of just recently. We wish we could undo what has happened. Unfortunately we can’t.

“We will do our best to ensure that people who committed that crime are taken before the halls of justice and do no more harm to people in this country. We are close to bringing a conclusion to a murder that took place at White’s Addition, which happened on the same evening.

“The same people we are talking to in connection with the matter involving the teacher, we are talking to in connection with the matter at White’s Addition. Then, of course, we have a matter with Elizabeth Estates. Unfortunately a young adult male lost his life because of the callous disregard and the criminal tendency and venom because of another bad person.”

As he promised to deploy police resources to resolve crime problems in the country, Mr Greenslade declined to directly respond to what seemed to some to be a veiled criticism of him from his former deputy, Quinn McCartney.

In a letter published in The Tribune yesterday, Mr McCartney said those in authority who do not appear to be doing their job effectively should be dismissed. Mr McCartney resigned from the force at the start of the year.

Sources within the force have said that tension between Mr  Greenslade and Mr McCartney was no secret among senior officers. 

Asked about Mr McCartney’s comments, Mr Greenslade did not comment directly, but he suggested that rather than criticise him, people should make themselves useful in the fight against crime.

“We have such a respectful organisation, an organisation since 1840. We stand on the shoulders of decent people that have gone before us,” he said. “I believe it would be a mistake for me to say anything that is not positive, generally, toward anyone that has served in a distinguished way in the force. I don’t believe that would be right to the community or to the force. 

“What I would tell you is any well meaning citizen in this country, be that a former police officer, persons wishing to become a police officer, a serving police officer, anyone generally who truly cares about the Bahamas, will have no interest in discussing the current Commissioner or any officer but will have all the interest in dedicating some effort, some time, some creativity to helping to solve whatever those outstanding problems are.

“I offer my love and affection to officers that have now served, to ones that have retired, to ones that aspire to be. The Commissioner has no venom for anyone.”