By EARYEL BOWLEG
Tribune Staff Reporter
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
THE Bahamas Department of Correctional Services held an opening ceremony for The Bahamas Inter-Agency K-9 Seminar yesterday.
National Security Minister Wayne Munroe said there are canine units in all of the law enforcement agencies – such as the police, customs, and the defence force.
“The security of this nation, the people and our territory is this administration’s foremost mission and in fact our constitutional duty — we are obligated to make our nation safer and more prosperous,” he said.
“The former governor of Florida, Jeb Bush is quoted as saying this. Great countries need to secure their borders for national security purposes, for economic purposes, and for the rule of law purposes.
“Therefore, training of this kind, especially into agency service training, the Ministry of National Security fully endorses as it broadens the skill set of our country’s security personnel by readying you with any plan to meet any potential security threat.”
Mr Munroe said the government has mandated that each law enforcement canine unit establish a breeding facility to expand and ensure the continued success of the programme.
“I have tasked all of the agencies to see if we can cooperate and have a national canine centre where we can make best use of resources and seek not to replicate resources at the same time providing each agency with the tools they need in terms of canine operators,” the minister said.
“This interagency canine seminar provides an opportunity for all of you law enforcement agencies, and your canine technicians, along with other quasi-governmental and non-governmental canine partners to unite once again, for information sharing regarding the latest developments and technology for canine maintenance, health, relevant laws concerning canine use and ownership and the effective ways for operating a canine unit.”
During the seminar, agencies will be able to critically analyse the canine units, and when necessary with information provided, mitigate any existing weaknesses and threats that their units may be experiencing,” he said.
The Freetown MP spoke on the broader topic of national security in relation to the region. He emphasised it is evident that the global and local dynamics have shifted.
He explained: “A new crisis demands our attention therefore you must be able to effectively defend our vital national interests. Hence to ensure this the government of The Bahamas has made it a priority to train and adequately equip the armed forces and partners in combating and deterring criminality, and to defeat security threats that emerge.”
He spoke about crime in nearby Turks and Caicos.
“If you permit people to run amok in the Turks and Caicos, how easy is that for them to come up to The Bahamas? The thing that people run on about Haiti — we spent a lot of money interdicting Haitians coming to The Bahamas. Let’s say we withdraw all our people to the Bahamian border, did nothing to help anyone else — how long do you think it would be before we’re overwhelmed by the people abroad? It is always better if you have to fight a battle that it’s often cleaner to do it before it reaches your shores and so the persons who reflect on it.
“Anyone who does not understand that crime is transnational, and has a strategy of being only local will reap what they sow, which is you will be selfish, and you will reap the rewards of selfishness which is trouble in your homeland. The Americans expend so much money in this country not really because they like us that much, you know, but because it protects their homeland. And that’s just simple. It’s not very complex.”
Several Bahamian police officers were recently sent to TCI to help with that nation’s crime problem. When asked how long he anticipates the officers will be stationed there, he said: “The deployment order signed by the Governor General is from October 5 to December 28.”
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