The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames yesterday confirmed police were working to establish intermediate use of force standards that would regulate police response when facing perceived threats.

Use of force standards dictate how much force can be used against a resisting subject and have been a central concern raised by critics of the police shooting rate and fatal encounters with suspects.

"Each shooting we have to look at it on an individual basis," Mr Dames said, "but after having said that, yes we are looking at intermediate use of force. It's something that we would have never had, but again after having said that nobody wants, I don't care who it is, nobody wants to shoot another person, that's not what policing is all about.

"(Use of force) that's something that we're working on," he said, "that's been touted now for many years but we haven't gotten there. You can rest assured that we will no doubt, we have already started some work to begin looking at intermediate use of force."

Mr Dames said: "Again if you take on a police officer and I'm not saying that that happens every time the police shoot someone, but if you take on a police officer with a gun then that force must be matched with whatever the police officer has - which is a gun."

Speaking to the media outside Parliament yesterday, Mr Dames said his ministry was committed to rebuilding training areas within various law enforcement agencies.

He noted four training manuals have already been completed for the Royal Bahamas Police Force, and flagged partnerships with tertiary level institutions to improve the level of education and training afforded to officers.

"We are working with our regional and international partners to build a professional agency within the Royal Bahamas Police Force," he said, "training within the RBDF, within the Corrections Department, and all the other agencies.

"We're clearly cognizant of the issues that we hear of from time to time in relation to these agencies but after having said that, we're working assiduously to change the way the public views our law enforcement officers. You can see on the flip side of that with the national neighbourhood watch council. They're doing a tremendous job in working in these communities, building relationships with many of these communities, and it's a work in progress but always remember that these officers are a microcosm of us."

Police shot and killed an alleged armed robber who they said opened fire on two officers after pinning them against a vehicle last week Friday.

The man, who police identified as Dario "Geico" Tinker, had been sought for questioning for several weeks. Police said he was found driving a stolen car, taken during an armed robbery last week Wednesday, and a pistol was recovered from the scene.

His death marked the ninth police shooting death for the year.

Yesterday, Mr Dames said the government was working to fast track cases to allow for swift administration of justice in these matters.

"Now often times in the society to which we live in, more than 80 percent of the homicides are committed by persons brandishing firearms, more than 80 percent of the armed robberies are committed with persons brandishing firearms and an officer is taught - and I'm not here standing up advocating shooting someone else - but whenever his or her life is in imminent danger they have every right to use the force necessary to protect themselves and at large the community," Mr Dames said.

"Does it always happen that way the law has to decide at the end of the day and we're looking at ways to speed up these cases to ensure there is fair play that justice at the end of the day is swift.

"The police, we're servants of the public, we work for the public, we work by consent and this is why we're trying to build a force that the Bahamian people can be pleased with and we have a long way to go.

"It's always a sad thing when somebody else loses their life. At the end of the day we'd like to see justice, so if an officer is wrong then he or she will have to face a court, but if an officer is innocent then he or she ought to be vindicated."