The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

POLICE arrested 35 people for various offences during an island-wide sweep of the capital with the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and the Immigration Department early yesterday morning.

National Security Minister Marvin Dames yesterday resisted the operation’s characterisation as a shanty town raid as he reiterated the government’s desire to increase the presence of law enforcement agencies.

He also flagged a critical effort to boost the enforcement of the law for not only criminal offences but regulatory infractions, like road traffic offences.

According to a police press statement, ‘Operation Twilight’ targeted “prolific offenders, wanted suspects and other persons associate with criminal activities.”

“I don’t want to isolate this as a shanty town raid,” said Mr Dames outside Parliament yesterday.

“This is not the first time that officers operated in shanty town areas. This is part of our overall crime strategy and we will go wherever we need to go to seek out those persons who are breaking the law and who are disrupting the normal flow of our society, and I make no apologies for that.

“They had a number of operations last week that proved very successful. They were able to take four weapons off the street, arrest a number of persons in armed robberies that were actually happening at the time.

“So you can expect to see a heightened law enforcement presence,” he added, “not only a heightened police presence, a heightened law enforcement presence. As we continue to work and apply a full court press to make this Bahamas safe. We have a lot of work to do, we are not there yet, but I’m encouraged we are in fact moving in the right direction.”

Speaking to enforcement of non-criminal offences, Mr Dames foreshadowed the government was seeking to amend the laws to allow for an integrated system linking traffic penalties to the road traffic licensing process.

Mr Dames said: “You certainly can expect to see involvement from ministries of government that have a regulatory arm. There is a serious concern throughout the Bahamas about indiscriminate dumping, about roadside garages within communities that are being erected without any licences.

“There will be certainly working hand in hand with Port Department, a lot of these Jet Ski and water craft operators operating without licences. We often speak out ignoring these minor offences and it leads to a very disorderly society. People jumping red lights, people not paying attention to parking, they want to park any and everywhere. We can’t continue to condone that,” he said, “we’re looking at efforts to improve road traffic laws and regulations to have an immediate impact on these lawbreakers, it’s extremely critical.

“Once we amend laws, tie in penalties to driver’s licences. With an integrated system you can’t licence your car unless you pay all your fines, which is much like what you see in more developed countries.”