The Tribune

AS he touted a 25 percent reduction in murders last year and a “dramatic turnaround” in the Royal Bahamas Police Force, National Security Minister Marvin Dames said more technology and support is on the way for law enforcement.

“The year 2018, was a truly historic one for the Royal Bahamas Police Force,” Mr Dames said at the RBPF’s annual church service. “In all my life, I have never seen an organisation make such a dramatic turnaround in such a short period of time.

“The force has returned to some of its most treasured and time-honoured traditions and practices which made it one of the most progressive police departments in the region. Events such as police month, the police ball, the canteen, the gym, the cadet corps programme, local and overseas training, the children’s Christmas party, proficiency exams being held twice a year, and joint operations with other law enforcement agencies have all been finally restored.

“These productive traditions should have never been stopped as they are vital to boosting the morale of our fine officers. I have no doubt, that because of the reintroduction of these programmes, we now have a force that is more motivated, more inspired, and more enthused about going above and beyond the call of duty.”

He said as a result of this “new level of motivation and performance,” 283 firearms and 6,250 rounds of ammunition were taken off the streets last year while more than 10,292 pounds of marijuana and 184 pounds of cocaine were seized.

“And most notably, because of a new refocused strategy, murders have dropped by some 25 percent – a figure that has not been seen in about a decade.”

Mr Dames also said: “Despite the many accomplishments, however, our nation is still faced with an unacceptable level of crime and fear of crime. Our government understands that we cannot simply ‘arrest’ our way out of this issue. So since coming to office almost two years ago, we have attacked crime from its roots by making criminal justice improvements, increasing educational achievement, improving social justice, reintegrating offenders, and creating economic empowerment initiatives.”

He said in a few weeks, officials will sign a contract for Shot Spotter technology which “revolutionises” crime fighting.

“It uses acoustic surveillance technology to detect, locate and alert the police of gunfire,” Mr Dames said. “Real time data of precise locations, number of shots, and type of gunfire will be transmitted to the police control room, allowing analysts to pinpoint and subsequently dispatch units to the scene with the foreknowledge of particulars before their arrival.”

He said the second phase of the expansion of the police fleet of vehicles is in motion as another $3.4 million will be spent to provide additional police cruisers, SUVs, T-3 Segways and ATVs. These vehicles will be hitting the streets across the country within the first quarter of 2019.