The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

NEARLY 2,000 residents have registered their home or business cameras with the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF), a sharp turnaround for a community surveillance programme that got off to a slow start two years ago.

The initiative, powered by the FUSUS platform, allows police to link private security systems with public CCTV feeds, body cameras, drones, and ShotSpotter technology to create a real-time crime monitoring network.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Zhivargo Dames, who oversees information and communication technology, said 1,863 people have now registered their cameras, up from just 50 within the first two weeks of the programme’s 2023 launch.

Registration is free and voluntary, with residents able to choose whether police can access their cameras directly or on request. Participants can register online by entering their name, address, email address, and the number of cameras installed.

When the programme was introduced, police encouraged businesses and homeowners to collaborate by linking their security systems, describing the initiative as a community effort to modernise crime fighting. That call prompted backlash online, with many saying they don’t trust officers enough to give them such access.

The FUSUS system is part of a broader push by the RBPF to use technology to improve policing. Commissioner of Police Shanta Knowles took office pledging to ensure that all frontline officers wear body cameras and undergo mandatory ethics and conduct training.

Mr Dames said the force currently has between 800 and 900 body cameras in circulation, with plans to acquire 200 to 300 more by the first quarter of 2026 as it works toward equipping all 3,000 officers. “I think it’s the vision to ensure that all of our officers are outfitted with body-worn cameras, no matter where they are,” he said.

He believes the cameras have already proven effective. “We have been more accountable, more transparent, I think the public is feel quite safe too, in interacting with our officers, knowing that the officers have a bodycam on their person,” he said.