By SANCHESKA DORSETT
Tribune Staff Reporter
sdrosett@tribunemedia.net
DESPITE the country recording five murders in the past week, Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean said police are doing an “excellent job” bringing criminals to justice.
At the scene of a murder on Saturday in the Kemp Road area, ACP Dean said the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) is increasing mobile patrols and manpower throughout the entire Bahamas in an effort to keep the public safe.
The last two months in 2016 were the deadliest for that year according to official police statistics, with November and December recording 13 and 15 murders respectively.
So far for the first two weeks of January there have been nine killings, according to The Tribune’s records, already surpassing the total number of eight persons killed in the entire month of January 2016.
ACP Dean said the RBPF will “spare no effort” to make the certain the persons terrorising the streets will be “arrested and put behind bars.”
“We want to put a word out to the criminal element, who despite our warning and despite what is happening, continue to try to wreak havoc on our communities, particularly tight knit communities. We will spare no efforts in 2017 to make sure they are arrested and put behind bars and justice is brought to them,” ACP Dean said.
“We cannot allow these criminal elements to continue to run around through the Bahamas or New Providence and feel that there is no law and order, they must be brought under subjection and we will do so. “The Royal Bahamas Police Force last year, with the help of the Bahamian public, executed an excellent police plan that saw great dividends, that saw great results. We intend to move in that same trajectory this year, with the support of the public we will bring those persons to justice. We have a group of well trained and professional detectives led by Chief Superintendent Ken Strachan and they do an excellent job.”
ACP Dean said the RBPF has a mandate and officers will continue, in partnership with the public, to keep the citizens safe.
“We will continue to focus,” ACP Dean said.
“We will increase manpower and patrols because at the end of the day the public wants to be safe and they want law and order and they want to feel safe. We told the public we will do it and we will keep that promise. We will continue to have our officers on patrol as they always do. We will continue to do our best but it is a partnership with the public, the police are not working in isolation. We are working with the community and other stakeholders.”
Last week in his annual meeting with the press, Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade said despite a 24 per cent drop in murders in 2016 as compared to 2015, he is not satisfied that “we are where we should be”.
He expressed concern about the detection rate of murders in 2016, saying it was “relatively low” compared to the past.
The commissioner again lamented the impact that granting bail to people accused of serious crimes has on policing efforts, as he gave examples of people who have continually been arrested and taken before the courts where they are then granted bail, only to return to criminal activity.
However, according to the commissioner overall serious crime fell by 26 per cent in 2016 compared to the previous year.
Comments
B_I_D___ 7 years, 3 months ago
Maybe the Tribune or someone else with the proper details can give us a run down in 2016, of how many people murdered were in fact out on bail, and how many murdered had ankle bracelets on...police are not policing...they are letting the riff-raff weed themselves out through street justice.
goodbyebahamas 7 years, 3 months ago
You want to be safe in Nassau, hang out at McDonald's, guaranteed ten lazy fat ass cops will be there.
jbowe63 7 years, 3 months ago
Instead of complaining about the job the police are doing ,talk about the family and friends of tthe criminals who r running rampant on the streets and not reporting or turning them in .so instead of being apart of the problem be a part of the solution. See something say something
goodbyebahamas 7 years, 3 months ago
Say something to you cop, o.k., lose weight, patrol where we don't see you now, and give us our moneys worth. I can smell a pig three hundred feet away, but a lazy fat ass cop as yourself, I can smell you 5,000 miles away.
jbowe63 7 years, 3 months ago
If u truly want to help go and join the ranks of the royal Bahamas police force ,walk in there shoes before u judge
goodbyebahamas 7 years, 3 months ago
Join the corruption of the PLP and the bought and paid RBPF, you must be smoking or sniffing the drugs you claim from the criminals. You catch them, put them in jail, and than you divide the drugs amongst yourselves to do or sell. Who the fk do you think your fooling, living the Kings life while the drug dealer does time and you keep the drugs; go fk yourself pig!.
Gotoutintime 7 years, 3 months ago
"Excellent Job" my ass----Tell that to the five people murdered already!
jbowe63 7 years, 3 months ago
And what's your point they died by the life they lived tell the family members to turn them in and stop condoning what they do . And as for the five people that died if no innocent bystanders got hurt let the rest of them rot in hell
goodbyebahamas 7 years, 3 months ago
If the RBPF and the PLP government put me in the position these young men are in now to survive because of them, I would be ten times worst than them; I would genocide your ass!
goodbyebahamas 7 years, 3 months ago
I got corrupt Bahamian pigs up my ass now, coming out of the wood works to welcome me to the best f**king newspaper in the Bahamas; TRIBUNE242 MF-er!. One thing you need to remember Bahamian pig, I've dealt with the best the USA has to offer, your child's play to me.
goodbyebahamas 7 years, 3 months ago
You MF-ers have really pissed me off now, if I don't see you doing your job, see you patrolling everywhere, I will make this website your worst f-ing nightmare! I will have friends secretly video tape you when your f-ing off. Hanging out doing shit, filling your fat f-ing asses at McDonald's, or being where your not supposed to be! Your going to do your f-ing job or your going to lose your f-ing job, taxes up our ass, mark my words, your going to do your f-ing job or photos of your laziness will be posted on this website and many more; you listening to me you MF-ing pig!?
ohdrap4 7 years, 3 months ago
i thought you emigrated to hawaaii to be happy
but scorned woman has no hath no fury like you.
goodbyebahamas 7 years, 3 months ago
I had a reply for you ondrap4, but it looks like Tribune242 is protecting my a$$, thank you Tribune242 for protecting my ass from this f-ing a$$hole.
John 7 years, 3 months ago
They say crime has gotten so bad and so out of control in Chicago because corruption rocks that city to it's very core. So how deep does corruption run in this country? Who is benefiting from crime? Who is being protected? Why are guns still so readily available on the streets of New Providence and Grand Bahama? Many of the young criminals involved in shootings have never travelled outside the Bahamas so where are they getting guns? Solve the gun (smuggling) problem, solve the crime problem. There are thousands of licensed shotguns and rifles in this country. Yet any are hardly used in crime. Houston we have a problem. A big one!
B_I_D___ 7 years, 3 months ago
Well...you do have one of the most corrupt, criminal drug 'defense' lawyers as a DPM who profited EXTREMELY well defending druggies and thugs...
athlete12 7 years, 3 months ago
"Who is benefiting from crime? " This is a great question. Who would benefit from the prison being full? This is also an issue in the US. Full prisons usually mean big money for people with private interest. Who supplies the prisons with clothes, food and other materials. We know that conflict of interest is rampant.
The issue could also be that the investigation unit is just that bad in gathering evidence against these criminals. Friends that have served on jury duty always speak of how poorly the police build evidence.No legitimate forensic labs and poorly trained investigators.
Likely it's a heavy blend of the two.
goodbyebahamas 7 years, 3 months ago
The PLP, John, now what is my prize for answering your easy question? Is it so hard for you to believe, you have no clue the evil men can do. Answer my question now John, because I still can't answer it or believe it. Why did DPM Brave "Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich" Davis let the thieves that robbed him go without any convictions, and why wasn't he hurt or killed like the rest of the people who have been robbed? I do know the answer John, but I still can't believe it. Didn't Jesus once say "Satan won't cast out Satan"?
DonAnthony 7 years, 3 months ago
Relax everyone, take a deep breath, nothing to worry about. The good commissioner said crime is down 26%. It appears no one believes him.
ThisIsOurs 7 years, 3 months ago
The good police do the best they can. Reality is extra cars are only part of the solution. The entire system is broken and the government is powerless to fix any of it. Too much corruption and too many personal get rich quick agendas in cabinet.
Greentea 7 years, 3 months ago
10 men are dead already in the first 17 days of the year. 10. One in the Grove tonight. Will ask mum if she noticed any increased patrols. Plenty on Bay Street though.
B_I_D___ 7 years, 3 months ago
Must have been about 50-60 police lining Baystreet when I passed down that way on Saturday night. Government aren't complete fools...they know the country has gone to sh|+...time to beef up security around the tourists so they don't take the crap public in the mainstream global media.
goodbyebahamas 7 years, 3 months ago
PLP protecting their best interest, themselves. As long as the tourist money keeps rolling in for them the rest of the Bahamas can go to the $hithouse for all they care. And if you think the mainstream global media doesn't know about the crime wave destroying the Bahamas, go ask James Walker Maritime Attorney in Miami. He's spreading the word from North to South in the USA, I even heard him on a Boston radio station talking about the crime in the Bahamas. Until you do something about the crime, you can have ten Baha Mar's and it wont make a difference.
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