The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Assistant Commissioner of Police Paul Thompson believes he has a credible solution to strengthening border security but top officials have yet to consider his recommendations.

Mr Thompson told The Tribune he has suggested the erection of three strategic lookout points on New Providence to law enforcement executives for several years, and challenged that such an initiative would have prevented the recent illegal sloop landing.

He added his calls for increased patrols in Nassau Harbour when cruise ships are in port, have also gone unanswered despite the noted rise in global terrorist attacks since 9/11.

“For some years now I had made recommendations to both governments concerning the Haitian boats that sneak into Nassau at night,” the former police officer said.

“One of the recommendations I made was to have lookout points: one where the lighthouse is on Paradise Island, one out at Coral Habour by the base and the other somewhere in the Montagu/Yamacraw area.”

He continued: “What I was thinking of is a small high-rise building with night vision, as used by the US army and others where you could see anything in the dark. This was put on paper and sent to both governments and it has been sitting there and I believe if they did that no boat would be able to sneak in.

The illegal landing of a sloop on Adelaide Beach near the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBPF) Coral Harbour Base on the weekend has captured national attention as officials were flummoxed by the incident.

The Tribune understands the Minnis administration has ordered the Department of Immigration officers to find the missing passengers. Officials believe around 150 to 250 irregular migrants were on board.

The sloop came ashore sometime Saturday night or early Sunday morning. In recent days, immigration officers have conducted sweeps of areas known for holding Haitian migrants after the discovery of the vessel.

Immigration Director William Pratt said Monday he “had no idea” how such a sloop could land so close to the RBDF Coral Harbour Base and go undetected. He suggested the RBDF should perhaps “improve their surveillance”.

“You can man them (lookouts) at night,” Mr Thompson continued, “ and you don’t need it in the day. This is something that can still be done. We don’t know what came on that boat, they are thinking only people but we’ve had experiences of cocaine on Haitian boats and also guns. In addition to that I had written to them and tell them that we have at our harbour sometimes six cruise ships in there, that would have about 7,000 people. I suggested when those ships are in port we should be patrolling the harbour so that no boat can come in and do anything to the ships. Boats are stolen from marinas and used for human trafficking to the states, we need patrols in the harbour at night.”

Mr Thompson underscored his extensive training at leading global centres like London and Paris during his tenure and lamented on why the government spends “exorbitant sums” for foreign experts.

“Seems like the recommendation falls on deaf ears,” he said.

“I give them the advice free, if they had to pay for it, like if some persons coming from abroad and give them same advice, they would accept it. We cannot blame the defence force it’s dark out there, there is no light, a boat could sail past and you wouldn’t see it. But if they had the lookout with the proper night vision this wouldn’t happen.”