The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

IT WAS not the responsibility of police authorities to ensure that Deputy Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis was assigned an armed security detail, Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade said yesterday.

Announcing that four men ages 21, 22, 24 and 25 were in custody accused of the attack on then acting Prime Minister Davis and his wife Anne Marie, Commissioner Greenslade insisted that his department could not take the blame for the absence of police officers at the Davis’ home at Westridge when the armed robbery occurred last Monday.

He told reporters that the matter was the responsibility of those at a higher level of authority.

“The police department,” Mr Greenslade said, “cannot be held accountable for something that is certainly not within its purview. So a basic bit of research in terms of how these matters are handled and who would have the responsibility for things of that nature would clearly illuminate the answer that one is looking for.

“As a Commissioner of Police, I understand that the police is the anvil upon which society beats out their frustration.”

“Someone has to be  blamed. If the Commissioner is an easy target then you take a shot at the Commissioner. The Commissioner is not going to be defensive.”

When the men, who are expected to face charges today were arrested, police said they also found two illegal firearms, electronics and jewellery. No funds, believed to be the property of St Christopher’s, the family’s church, were recovered. The get away vehicle was also confiscated by police.

Another man alleged to have been involved is still at large. He is 27-year-old Jeffery “Bongo” King of Yellow Elder Gardens.

Authorities told reporters that the five men were believed  to be responsible for at least two other armed robberies and numerous serious crimes throughout the island, particularly in western New Providence.

Mr Greenslade admitted that there are certain government officials who are entitled to certain levels of protection. However, the Commissioner is not responsible for making that final decision, he said.

“From time immemorial there are persons in the government who are entitled to a certain level of protection. All of those persons who are entitled in the Bahamas today enjoy those benefits. Every single one (of them).

“Some of those instances are not within the purview of the Police Commissioner. Where the Commissioner is required to provide aids, you call them bodyguards, those people are in place for the respective persons.

“That has never been an issue and it’s not an issue in this instance. When you speak to the issue of 24-hour coverage, we refer to that as static guard duties at a residence, those are issues that are handled at a much higher level.

“No fault can be found in this instance with the police department, “ Commissioner Greenslade said.

He urged the relatives and friends of Jeffery King, who know where he is, to turn him in to police as soon as possible.