The Tribune

By Noelle Nicolls

khalilanicolls@gmail.com

Although the public seems fatigued by stories of domestic violence and sexual abuse, the problem continues to run rampant in the Bahamas to the extent that it has become somewhat accepted as a social norm.

As concern continues to mount over the public actions of some in the Royal Bahamas Police Force, I wonder what women in relationships with abusive police officers are experiencing. These women, along with those who are wed to or dating abusive men of other uniformed divisions and men of the cloth, make up a secret society of abused women. They may talk about their abuse in confidence but they, along with so many other women, accept abuse in their lives and refuse to report it.

They perhaps above others feel burdened by the silence. For who do you turn to, if in a society already distrustful of the police and the legal system, when those sworn to serve and protect you are the ones abusing you; when those endowed with state sanctioned power or divine grace can abuse their power to bring further tyranny to your life.

Domestic violence is about power and control, and I wonder if being a police officer makes an individual psychologically predisposed to controlling behaviour. Individuals are all different, but there is a certain nature that seems to come with being a uniformed officer, which is why professionalism and mental health is critical inside the force.

Some officers may find it difficult to maintain normal power dynamics in a social setting, particularly when transitioning from the job to the domestic environment. And if an individual, compounded with that, has abusive tendencies already, it could make for a very volatile situation. Women have complained in the past of being threatened with police-issued weapons in their own domestic spaces. How unacceptable.

Sadly, some officers take the situation lightly. One superintendent was caught speaking about the high rate of abuse within the uniformed branches in a way which seemed almost bragging, suggesting it was excusable because the high stress job is demanding and calls on officers to be barking orders all day. Such a point of view condones abusive behaviour and should be outright rejected. Being a police officer gives no one licence to be abusive, whether it is domestic or otherwise.

Women in such abusive situations, as with women in most abusive situations, are usually deadly fearful and feel they have no way out. The perception is that police officers cloak one another.

Experts encourage women in abusive relationships with police officers to ensure their complaints go directly to the Commissioner of Police. However, they also caution that most women who have sought legal action have been dissatisfied with the process. They also advise women not to allow fear to cause them to isolate themselves from their friends and peers. Someone must know.

The senior command of the police boasts all the time about police officers coming from the community, which means police are not immune to the problems that run rampant in the community, including domestic violence. In fact, it is likely that many police officers on the force grew up in abusive households and have not had any forms of intervention in their adulthood.

The warnings of mental health workers are growing. They question whether or not police officers have proper psychological testing; believing that police aggression is on the rise because the state of mental health within the force is on the decline. If this is the case, I can only wonder with concern what is happening in the private homes of officers with abusive tendencies. Some mental health works suggest the police adopt a policy of mandatory annual counselling for the entire force.

Rather than taking offence, or believing themselves immune from scrutiny or above reproach, the police should engage in soul searching and speak with wisdom and care. While the uniformed branches play an important role in society and provide a vital service, there are some among the ranks who abuse the power of their office, and abuse the sacred personhood of their intimate partners. This is unacceptable.

Nothing will change however, unless these officers know they will not be cloaked, unless they know that they are being watched by their superiors, and until an environment is created in which women, who are victims of this abuse, can speak out without fear and free themselves from the tyranny of abuse.