The Tribune

BY DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A POLICE officer in Exuma captured on video during a viral fight at a local bar last month remains on active duty, Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles revealed yesterday, as investigations into the incident continue.

Commissioner Knowles told The Tribune that the officer had not been placed on administrative leave because the Complaints and Corruption Unit was still investigating the matter. 

She said investigators were told the officer was simply carrying out his duties after being asked to intervene, but added that the circumstances were still under investigation.

"No, he has not been put on administrative leave as yet,” the police chief said when pressed on the matter. “I do believe that my team from the Complaints and Corruption Unit is still looking at that matter.”

The footage, which has widely circulated online, shows a man in plain clothes striking another man as the two held onto each other's shirts, with several other people trying to break up the fight.

Police later confirmed that one of the men involved is a member of the force assigned to the Exuma Division, but said the circumstances of the incident remain unclear. The RBPF added that appropriate action would be taken against anyone found to have engaged in misconduct or broken the law and that the force remains committed to the highest standards of professionalism, discipline and ethical conduct.

According to the commissioner, two people had been taken into custody and charged in connection with the incident.

She cautioned against drawing conclusions about the officer’s conduct based solely on footage circulating on social media.

She said investigators had been told he was carrying out his duties after a member of the public requested his assistance.

“Sometimes we see the tail end of a situation, and we quickly blame the officer who is trying to simply do his duty,” she said.

“And from what I'm told so far in that investigation, that is what that officer was trying to do, to do his duty after he was called on by a citizen to intervene in a situation.

“Again, Complaints and Corruption has not presented a file to the Deputy Commissioner to bring to my attention. Until then, he remains on active duty,” Commissioner Knowles said.

The investigation is the latest involving an officer caught on camera in a physical altercation.

In August, Commissioner Knowles revealed that an officer accused of slapping a man during a Bahamas National Basketball Team game in July was facing proceedings before the Police Tribunal. Ms Knowles likened the tribunal to a magistrate’s court and said its findings would be made public once the proceedings were completed.