The Tribune

FOUR vessels have been presented to the Royal Bahamas Police Force by the US Embassy to help to protect The Bahamas, with the boats to be assigned to New Providence, Abaco, Bimini and Grand Bahama.

The SAFE boats, valued at $1.6m, will be deployed around The Bahamas and will support operations as part of Operation Bahamas Turks and Caicos (OPBAT).

The US Embassy also donated 45 ballistic vests worth about $40,000 and six jaws of life valued at about $200,000, bringing the total value of the donations to $1,840,000.

US Embassy Chargé d'Affaires Usha Pitts said that the boats are "critical to preserving security in an island nation that has almost 700 islands. You have got to have SAFE boats for patrols. These safe boats, there are four of them, they are 27ft long, they feature enclosed cabins and trailers They will be deployed around The Bahamas... they will support OPBAT. These boats are worth $1.6m".

She recalled last month the "heartwarming event" of presiding over the renovation of the lighthouse at Abaco, but noted that donations cannot just be about feelgood events such as that but that "it is also important that we get down to the brass tacks".

She added that the ballistic vests will protect senior officers but also plain clothes and intelligence officers, and that the jaws of life would help people after traffic accidents, noting that "traffic accidents, traffic fatalities are a huge problem in The Bahamas", and saying: "We know they will save people's lives."

Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander thanked the US for "standing shoulder to shoulder with us" and noted: "The Bahamas continue to be a transshipment drop for dangerous drugs and illegal firearms that fuel our crime situations today.

"As we embark on this continued fight against crime, let us remain united, vigilant and steadfast in our pursuit of a safer, more secure future for The Bahamas and the US."

National Security Minister Wayne Munroe, who said he had just come from a meeting to discuss the potential deployment of Bahamian troops to Haiti, thanked the US for the donation. He noted that an agreement to buy 40ft safe boats for the Royal Bahamas Defence Force was signed yesterday, although he did not specify details.