The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage said legislation to regulate the controversial National Intelligence Agency will be brought to the House of Assembly soon after the government ends the 2014/2015 budget debate.

For the first time yesterday, Dr Nottage gave more details to explain the scope of the NIA’s work. His statements came weeks after Free National Movement Deputy Loretta-Butler Turner raised concerns that the agency was operating without a legal framework and possibly spying on Bahamians.

Dr Nottage said as “extraordinary times called for extraordinary measures”, one of the Christie administration’s goals is to ensure the NIA becomes a permanent and fully constitutional body which functions as the hub of national intelligence in the Bahamas.

Yesterday, Dr Nottage showed Parliamentarians a “working” copy of the NIA legislation and expressed assurances that the finished version once tabled would be pleasing to all members of Parliament.

“The agency is set up to create new and innovative synergies,” he said, “and employ methods and mechanisms geared towards reversing criminal conduct. Members opposite have asked the question why would there be a need to create the intelligence agency when law enforcement bodies already have internal intelligence.

“One of the government’s goals is to cause the agency to become a permanent, fully constitutional body that functions as the nerve centre of national intelligence-sharing mechanisms.

“In our charter for governance, we indicated that we will constitute a head of law enforcement agencies that includes the police, the defence force, customs, immigration and the agency itself. They meet regularly to discuss national intelligence matters (and) they co-operate with each other. Their job is to know what is going on in the Bahamas. The agency is responsible for the strategic oversight of intelligence and to create proactive solutions to perceived threats to our commonwealth. It stands to become the country’s premier intelligence body.

“With that, I have solidified the argument in favour of the NIA as we acknowledge the many challenges brought on by those with criminal intent. We are reminded that extraordinary times sometimes require extraordinary measures.”

Outlining additional functions of the NIA, Dr Nottage said the body was expected to establish regional and international partners with a view to furthering the government’s crackdown on illegal activities.

“The NIA will engage in opportunities to minimalise our weaknesses and threats and identify the source of all challenges to our national security. Sustaining our security in the 21st Century requires maintaining and strengthening our robust network of local, regional and international relationships. The agency will ensure its presence and posture and we will expand our network of cooperation with emerging partners.

“We will maintain our emphasis on intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination to threats to national security including illegal drugs, firearms trafficking, poaching, illegal migration, corruption, criminal gangs and crime in general and seek to prevent the emergence of new threats.”

The NIA, Dr Nottage said, is comprised of qualified experts that have been given exclusive tasks for gathering and disseminating intelligence.