POLICE Commissioner Paul Rolle.
By KHRISNA RUSSELL
Tribune Chief Reporter
krussell@tribunemedia.net
POLICE Commissioner Paul Rolle yesterday pushed back against assertions that the Royal Bahamas Police Force is being used to carry out acts of political victimisation, insisting “I do not take instructions from politicians”.
In the face of allegations the police were acting on instructions from political “higher ups” to detain and arrest Democratic National Alliance Leader Arinthia Komolafe and members of her party, the Commissioner was adamant that he alone instructed the Central Police Station to act yesterday.
The DNA’s leader and other party officials were brought to the station yesterday for questioning in relation to a March 3 protest and events that occurred later that day. They were released several hours later.
“Let me say that the Commissioner of Police answers to the Constitution of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas,” Commissioner Rolle said when asked by The Tribune to respond to claims the RBPF was being used to victimise the political party. “I do not take instructions from politicians.”
He said he decided not to charge the DNA members on March 3, but to deal with the situation later. He said not only did the group unlawfully assemble at Rawson Square, but they “pushed on officers” in an attempted to gain entry to the House of Assembly.
Asked why it took three weeks to act on this matter, Commissioner Rolle said by law he is allowed a timeframe of one year to take action where misdemeanours are concerned.
“I have a year,” he said during a press conference at Police Headquarters after the DNA members were released. “I am saying Parliament was still meeting and I didn’t wish to interfere with that. So, that’s really all there is to it. There is nothing political about it. I don’t see colours. So, whether it’s red, yellow or green, everybody is treated the same. I believe my record on that is straight forward.”
The group was not charged, with the Commissioner saying he had yet to make a determination as to whether anyone will be arraigned in court.
The investigation is continuing and will be wrapped up in a matter of days, he told reporters. If convicted the offences warrant fines and/or prison sentences.
“The events today (yesterday) emanating from events on the third of March during the early morning hours where groups of persons sought to assemble in various locations throughout the city, without first seeking permit for a demonstration and the gathering,” he said.
“As you are all aware persons can demonstrate. The requirement of the law is to request a permit from the Commissioner of Police. That was not done.
“When it was brought to my attention I said to the officers at the time to speak to the persons, ask them to disperse and we will deal with them later.
“That was done and a short while later it was brought to my attention that the group of persons were at Parliament. Parliament was in session and these persons attempted to forcefully gain their way into the Parliament that was sitting at the time.
“They did not have any permission again to demonstrate as is required by law and I instructed officers at the time not to arrest anybody that we would deal with it later by way of summons where we just invite people in so as not to create a scene, an unnecessary scene, at the Parliament house.
“This morning I learned that the officer-in-charge of Central who has carriage for Central invited nine persons in to the station to be interviewed in regards to the alleged breaches and I think that was the essence of what transacted.”
He continued: “They had to be interviewed. I learned that there was a media circus gathered at the Central Police Station. I wanted to find out what was going on and so I went down myself and I spoke with a few of the persons that the officers invited in as well as to some of the attorneys and they were all aware of what was going on.
“I indicated to them as I would say to you today that when the officers have completed their investigations, the file will come to me and I will make a final decision on that at the time, which I will communicate with and to the persons concerned.”
Commissioner Rolle denied the arrest was an attempt to silence Mrs Komolafe.
“Not at all because we have not done anything to prevent Mrs Komolafe from getting her message out and I encourage persons to get their message out,” he said.
“But, what we say is to do it right. You can’t block up the whole city and we were not aware. I want to encourage all the persons, we have persons that have gone into various areas, we have constantly said to persons we’re not going to stop you but you have to let us know because we have to protect you too.
“That’s the main thing that I want persons to understand. It is not about the Commissioner flaunting his authority. It is about protecting those demonstrators because we would hate to know that those persons are demonstrating and a different group pounces upon them and then we will have a bigger problem.”
Comments
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 1 month ago
I had to laugh when the FNM defender said nothing unusual here when the police do a murder investigation they don't arrest people right away either. A murder investigation??? Well, hopefully it was a good enough attempt to hold on to the contract.
"You can’t block up the whole city and we were not aware"
The DNA blocked up the whole city?
" I learned that there was a media circus gathered at the Central Police"
wow. they locked up the leader of an opposition party and expected the media not to show up?
tell_it_like_it_is 3 years, 1 month ago
Minnis is finished!!! This will backfire big time for him. I'm not sure the FNM will lose, but Minnis will definitely lose his seat. This is stupid!!! 🤦♂️
licks2 3 years, 1 month ago
Why is it stupid? As long as the leader of the DNA allows r. Bain "lead her by the nose" she will continue to "push against the fence posts" to get cheap political mileage!! The "protest" that got Dr. Minnis in hot stew when they went over PI was pushed by. . .yes. . .the same man. . .LB! And yinna saw how that turned out for Doc!!!
The Mrs is out of her league. . .it has nothing to do with her being a woman. . . or gathering a crowd. . .she was "dragging" behind Bain and playing the fool pushing the police them at the HOA!! IF YA WANT TO BE PM. . .SET THE EXAMPLE!!
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 1 month ago
gee this is a treasure trove
"we would hate to know that those persons are demonstrating and a different group pounces upon them and then we will have a bigger problem.”
but the only group who pounces on demonstrators is the police. whacking people with their batons, body slamming people etc
TigerB 3 years, 1 month ago
We wait and watch, if the police are wrong then lawsuits are coming, rest assured, but if they are right....never mind the noise in the market.
licks2 3 years, 1 month ago
THERE WILL BE NO LAWSUITS. . .WHAT WILL BE THE GROUNDS!! WE WANTED TO BREAK THE LAW AND THE POLICE THEM LOCK WE UP. SO WHAT IS THE BEEF? FALSE ARREST?? The police "was jittery" about locking them up on the first day. . .just what mr. Bain wanted. . .he is all about optics!! So if the police "waited" for FEW WEEKS BEFORE THEY GRABBED THEM'. . .they have up to one year to do so. . .they waited to avoid a bigger "bust up" down on Bay Street!! SO THEY SAY!
They needed to "be slick" when dealing with Bain. . . he want "appearances" to make him look like a victim!!
I would not waste time with this nonsense. . .the DNA leader should have been more smarter than to let loose canon like Bain "steer" her political "boat"!!
If she is "allowed" special "favors" because she is the leader of the DNA. . .then who will speak for all the people who were locked up for "being out side" after curfew. . .after emergency orders said that they may not? They too were not "harming anybody". . .they were just being disobedient to law!!
Most of yall around here need to grow the hell up in yinna reasoning skills!! No wonder yinna does get all kind of them dumb people for MP every five years. . .yinna thinking is so shallow and juvenile. . . very "easy ta swing"!
Mrs. DNA, shut ya mouth up. . .take ya licks that ya worked for. . .stop letting Bain "make you do fool. . . man-the-hell-up" run ya party like you have the proverbial "pair" of you know what!!
"they onny doin dis ta me cos I'se a woman"! Girl shut ya lips and do ya do!! What difference it makes who "you is" when it comes to "taking the law in ya own hands". . .huh?
mandela 3 years, 1 month ago
So when Mr. PM is campaigning with his people in the constituencies with his hopeful MP;'s aren't they also blocking up the area, this looks and smells like something political, looks like someone is running scared, this time around is going to be a repeat of election 2012 with a strong presence of third parties.
tribanon 3 years, 1 month ago
The incompetent, arrogant, nasty and vindictive Minnis and his new evil and ruthless administrative apparatus of the FNM party will always promote the selective enforcement of laws, rules and regulations aimed at silencing the voices of their political opponents and other dissenters. We have entered the new era of a police state with government by tyranny. And Minnis is using the playbook of his Communist Chinese friends to intimidate all of his lowly plebes who dare oppose him and his FNM party apparatus.
tribanon 3 years, 1 month ago
This is an act of political victimization pure and simple. And Paul Rolle knows full well that his actions in this matter on March 3 had the tacit instigation and approval of Dames, Culmer and Minnis. Make no mistake about it, our most incompetent, arrogant, nasty and vindictive supreme ruler is in the process of creating an authoritarian police state with Paul Rolle playing a willing role as leader of the gestapo squad tasked with stamping out the voices of dissent and opposition.
Proguing 3 years, 1 month ago
This is a sad day for our democracy
DDK 3 years, 1 month ago
Indeed. Are we still a democracy? Perhaps only on paper, for the time being at least. Let's see what Wikipedia will be calling us shortly....
stislez 3 years, 1 month ago
Is sad to say but bey maybe if we had people who was willing to die for the betterment of our nation we would create a different place to live. It's to much talking an no real action! Men like Marcus Garvey, Malcom X, Fredrick Douglas, Dr Yosef Ben Yachannan, Dr Anthony Browder, Dr Sebi even Bob Marley would have died for what was right! They put the greater good above even their own families lives, real sacrifice. We need men like dat who aint scared to die much less get locked up. Thats how deeply rooted these men was with their communities and people who they fought for. The people WE as Bahamians put in power ain't cut from that cloth. Look at how everyone NOW talking bout pindling and how great of a leader he was for our nation. We have soft men as leaders now. Cowards! Until WE realise our leaders is a basic reflection of the people we wont be able to move 4ward. Everyone talking bout the PM dis the governemnt dat but fail to realise we all bahamians. I'm not saying everyone is a basic reflection but i am saying the Mass is. We does act like we so righteous but yet still we be doing the same shit as the politicians but on a smaller scale. We do it to our friends, family and strangers! Bahamians are trying to seperate themselves from government and political agendas but have the same characteristics. Any country in the WORLD that don't believe they are a basic reflection of their government or political system does FIGHT against them. They take to the streets not for one day but until their problems are resolved. They don't call talk shows to voice their opinions, they call on each other to stand in solidarity. We are our worst enemy and until the mass look in the mirror and see that, Bahamas gone have a hard time moving forward.
licks2 3 years, 1 month ago
We don't have to look in the mirror. . .just sit down a listen to how some of yinna "talking fool" and thinking like a bunch of Andros yard chickens. . .WHY WOULD WE PLACE OUR NECKS ON THE LINE (SO TO SPEAK) WITH YALL WHEN YINNA SO CHILDISH IN YALL THINKING?? Yall mussie crazy!!
Those giants of solid intellect. . .oh yes. . .including LOP would not waste a NY minute with most of yinna around here!! "The PM need to make a decision, after all he is the PM" When we think that the PM "makes a decision". . ." oh the PM can't make a decision on he own, after all he gat a cabinet". Myopic is what we are. . .I guess! That's all I see with the lame thinking skills with most around here!! LOP was a hell of an intellectual. . .better that all of the names I see above. . .this country is still "cruising" on the genius and the reasoning power of that "baintown boy"! He walked and outwalked with best-of-the-best anywhere on this globe!!
The greatest thing about him that I always admired growing up. . .HE HAD LITTLE TIME FOR STUPID TALKING!! I always "waited" for LOP to respond to sooooooooooo many dumb talks from hither and yon!! Then he would speak. . .so refreshing to hear the voice of "cool" reason compared to such "rabble". . .them yard chickens' talk!!
Let us follow our own Bahamian example!!
FrustratedBusinessman 3 years, 1 month ago
Did they have a permit? That is the only question relevant to this discussion.
Proguing 3 years, 1 month ago
Did Pindling have a permit to toss the Mace out of the window?
moncurcool 3 years, 1 month ago
Really?
licks2 3 years, 1 month ago
You mean "if Milo Butler had a permit" to throw the mace out of the window? And yes. . .Milo was taken out of the HOA. . .and he had HOA privileges. Further more, he did not need a permit to be in the precincts of the HOA. . .he was an MP!! That was the reason Casius Stuart them got locked up when they went into the precincts of HOA and "fool" with the mace. . .they were not MPs! And by the way, them DNA people needed a permit to demonstrate in and around the precincts of the HOA! AS FAR AS WE KNOW FROM THE POLICE. . .THEY HAD NONE!! END OF STORY!! SHE WANT TO BE PM AND DON'T WANT TO "TAKE SHE LICKS"?
moncurcool 3 years, 1 month ago
You are so right. However, the sad reality is that becasue the politicians have started up silly season, you see the that the rest of the public sadly goes the same way as well, and throw thinking out the window.
tribanon 3 years, 1 month ago
@FrustratedBusinessman: "No", it's not the only question or issue regarding this most atrocious incident. Selective enforcement of the laws is the real question and issue at hand. We can't live in a society where there is one set of enforced laws for the ruling political class and their cronies and another set for the rest of the people they were elected to govern. That just invites the worst kind of political victimization as we have seen in the instant case. Our law enforcement officials and justice system should be treating all of us equally when applying and enforcing our laws and regulations.
FrustratedBusinessman 3 years, 1 month ago
Here is the thing tribabon, this is the law being applied equally. If they were protesting without permission, they broke the law. I have trouble believing that Minnis ordered this primarily because it is such bad optics. Agreed on the part about the political victimization in general though, things need to be 100% fair regardless of the shirt/hat colour.
Honestly, our system of governance is far too advanced for 90% of Bahamians to ever effectively understand. Most Bahamians don't seem to understand that there is a legal difference between conducting a walkabout and a protest/demonstration. I can assure you that this was either staged/planned, or a stunning display of incompetence on the part of the DNA. If Komolofe is worth her salt as an attorney, she should know very well that permission is required to hold a protest/demonstration. If not, she needs to retire from politics completely as we can't have someone that ignorant involved with national affairs. This is all one big pity party for attention that Bahamians are getting suckered into joining.
tribanon 3 years, 1 month ago
The inescapable truth is that had it been one of the major unions doing what the DNA did, nothing would have come of it. Therein lies the rub!
licks2 3 years, 1 month ago
Finally. . .fair and balance common sense!! See what good reasoning skills look like people? Just the law. . .did she break it or not!!! If she broke he law. . .so then what? Give her a break? Why. . .when other regular folks are not allowed to! Can we do that and too maintain an ordered society? Letting the law take it course. . .is that political victimization? If she broke the law so defiantly, should she be "blighed" because she is the leader of the DNA?
Yinna would noticed that frustrated businessman "balanced" reasoning deduced for all of those questions raised!! You don't need ya mar dem to explain anything to you. . .the answers are in his post. . .explicit or implied!!
Conversely, the same thing happens when yinna run-on with nonsense!! Ya become convoluted and yinna connotations and implications are all over the map. . .it become oxymoronic!!
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 1 month ago
It's amazing how many people justify nonsense. the commissioner didn't need 3 weeks to figure of if the DNA had a permit, he could have locked them up the same day IF that was the justification. This I didn't want to disturb parliament is also nonsense. They lock up plenty people downtown while parliament was in session. Remember when Marvin Dames break off running from the crowd
FrustratedBusinessman 3 years, 1 month ago
Only nonsense going on here is this sham poor me pity party that Komolofe & Co. are pushing. The police more than likely didn't move to arrest them that day because this was the original goal all along. Cause a disturbance and then cry poor me and play the victim card when the police arrest us for breaking the law in order to score political points.
Bahamians fall hook line and sinker for every dream that these politicians try to sell them. At this point, I almost don't feel sorry when most end up disappointed every 5 years.
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 1 month ago
Sooooo.... the police didn't arrest the DNA right away to give them the opportunity to play victim 3 weeks later? letting them walk away was all a giant smoke screen?
FrustratedBusinessman 3 years, 1 month ago
Were they forcibly arrested at their homes, or were they requested to come to the station? The police force very specifically gave the reason of not wanting to go to their homes to cause a disturbance, and so they requested that they come in. Who decided to make a big issue about being asked to come down to the station? Makes plenty of sense to ask them to come down to the station, and not arrest them in Rawson Square/at their homes with cameras everywhere from an optics standpoint. This shows very clearly that the police were trying to handle this in a professional and discrete manner.
Furthermore, they were released later. Not like they were charged with a crime and then having the judicial process go from there. Bahamians just love drama and hype over foolishness without knowing a single thing of what they are talking about. Childish behaviour from a party of children.
themessenger 3 years, 1 month ago
I long ago came to the conclusion that the biggest obstacle the Bahamas needs to overcome are the Bahamians as no one else has negatively impacted our lives more than we have ourselves.
We have met the enemy and it is us!
tribanon 3 years, 1 month ago
Those are common words spoken by beaten down defeatists and precisely the words Minnis enjoys hearing most.
themessenger 3 years, 1 month ago
Spoken like the pseudo intellectual you are while your warp speed paddle continues to churn your poison pot of lies, misinformation and disinformation. People like you are exactly why this country will never amount to anything as, like cockroaches, there are far too many of you.
tribanon 3 years, 1 month ago
Do try keep in mind that I'm not the one responsible for the dreadfully incompetent and corrupt governing of our country.
licks2 3 years, 1 month ago
Amen messenger!!! Too many of them spread nonsense so often. . .we get lost in the fog of swirling dumb-speak!!
tribanon 3 years, 1 month ago
LOL
JokeyJack 3 years, 1 month ago
It is comforting to know that even though the leader of an opposition party was arrested, just like is done in so many third world dictatorships, that we are an exception to the rule and nothing at all is wrong.
Maybe governmemt should lock up ALL members from all opposition parties and only allow FNM candidate names on the ballots too? Im sure people can think of "good reasons" why that would be ok also. Trust me, many would defend such a move and still claim we have a democracy.
John 3 years, 1 month ago
Paul Rolle is the biggest PUPPET Commissioner (also not too intelligent) in a decade and Marvin Dames is amongst the most desperate and unpopular politicians seeking to be re-elected in the upcoming elections and so you will have this type of inappropriate, unnecessary and suppressing behavior from the armed forces. Tight pants Marvin will go out screaming and scratching and kicking and biting, but he ‘gern’ out! Start with the young man who was riddled with bullets while on his way to work one Sunday morning. Some 18 bullets at least. Even criminals in The Bahamas don’t riddle bodies like that. Or what about the Blackhawk helicopter invasions in densely populated areas of New Providence, where, although Marvin Dames with assistance from his racist neighbors from the North pounced down on these communities in the dark of night. And whilst claiming to be on a hunt for hardened drug criminals, ended up arresting and harassing more people for being annoyed and angry for being awakened from there sleep in such a rude and threatening and reckless manner . Or some for just taking pictures of the invasion. And obviously everyone involved in Marvin Dames ‘Blackhawk Invasion’ was not Bahamian. Then there’s Marvin Dames’ home invasion on the Eastern Road, again in the dark of night, where every adult male was slaughtered. And then the killing at the bank on Mackey Street, where no less than THIRTY rounds were fired into a vehicle making sure that everything that was alive in that vehicle was now dead. Dead. And likewise for the vehicle near the graveyard in the South where no less than THREE you men lost their lives in a hail of gunfire. Police gunfire. And several and similar incidents where other young Bahamian men who lost their lives at the hands of police. Eyewitnesses say the men were fleeing. Police day they were ‘in fear for their lives.’ What did Paul Rolle say about ‘weak men committing suicide?’ Untangle this web you weave Mr Commissioner. And will Marvin Dames be made to account for the millions of the people’s money that he so loosely spent on the his ‘crime fighting toys? Drones on which he claims to have spent more than TEN times the market price? And other crime fighting toys while murders seem to be climbing back up to Pre Minnis and Pre Marvin and Pre Paul Rolle rates? The arrests of the DNA leader and her entourage is small things compared to what Marvin Dames and Paul Rolle has done to the people of this country. And now with silly season almost in full bloom, remember ‘desperate people do desperate things.’
John 3 years, 1 month ago
And not to forget Marvin Dames show of military force against his protesting employees in recent days. Was Marvin Dames again prepared ro riddle down and kill Bahamians? This time Bahamians in his employ who were protesting for better working conditions? Desperate people do desperate things. Marvin Trump!
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