The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

COLLABORATION between the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) to combat crime is part of the shared vision of Prime Minister Perry Christie, National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage and Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade, Mr Christie said on Friday.

During a commissioning ceremony for the HMBS Kamalamee, the latest in a fleet of vessels the government has acquired, Mr Christie said the collaboration is necessary as he recounted the overnight death of a sibling of a family friend.

"Just before I came here my wife made a tearful call to me to tell me that one of our family friends had her young brother go into Augusta Street last night to give condolences to a family who had lost a son through the same violence," Mr Christie said.

"For no other reason, that's all he went there for and he was an unfortunate victim of someone or some group shooting bullets at random; he was killed.

"Our country cannot watch the level of wanton disregard for human life continue to take place at random. It has an obligation to ensure that the maximum efforts are made for the protection and security of the people of our country."

The involvement of the RBDF in policing has been called a "touchy" subject by Police Staff Association (PSA) Chairman Dwight Smith, who told The Tribune on Thursday that it sends the message that police are failing.

He was sceptical that the training RBDF officers receive equips them to also do police work.

Official Opposition Leader Loretta Butler-Turner, who attended the commissioning ceremony, said that she is awaiting additional information from government officials about how the collaboration between the two law enforcement organisations will manifest itself.

Nonetheless, Mr Christie was adamant that the collaboration is needed to send a message to the country that the government and law enforcement officials will not tolerate violence.

"There may well be significant sociological explanations to explain what is taking place (in terms of violent crime in the country) but it must be stopped," he said. "And pending all of the advice and rationalisations on long-term important interventions, the Minister of National Security and the Commissioner of Police had a meeting with me and we have a shared vision that we wanted to present to the Commodore of the Defence Force that, when it comes to the safety of the citizenry of our country, there are no neat demarcation lines to be drawn.

"And subject to whatever those rules are that govern the operations of the Defence Force and the Police force, it is our complete view that the collective might of the forces of our country must be deployed so as to demonstrate to anyone who may have some doubts that we are not prepared to compromise on protecting the future of our country."

He said: "To all of the young Bahamians who continue to demonstrate a complete disregard for their own lives as well as the lives of others, I use this opportunity to call on you to stop. I use this opportunity to call on your mothers and your fathers to persuade you to stop. I use this opportunity to convince your friends to stop."