The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE number of COVID-19 cases in the Royal Bahamas Police Force is “trending downward significantly”, according to National Security Minister Marvin Dames, who said active cases among officers now stand at three.

Mr Dames also said there are some 18 Royal Bahamas Defence Force officers who are still infected with disease while adding at least two people at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services have tested COVID positive.

Despite these relatively small numbers, the minister maintained law enforcement agencies continue to carry out their duties in protecting the public.

“Listen, these agencies are very large agencies and they’re just a microcosm of our wider society and so it is expected therefore that given the nature of what they do...  there will be some numbers within the ranks of these agencies impacted,” he told reporters ahead of a Cabinet meeting yesterday.

“I mean to date, I believe the defence force has some 18 active cases and the police force, three active cases and so as far as the police force is concerned, those numbers have trended downward significantly.”

His comments came a day after health officials revealed the uniform branches led the way in terms of contacts’ workplace exposure by occupation, followed by health workers and those in the category of trade, utility and construction.

He added: “And the prison, I believe, they may have had two overall cases and so when you look at it across the board, these agencies are doing extremely well. And we, from the beginning of COVID, each of these agencies would’ve had their own individual COVID plans.

“And they continue to manage those plans and their plans are much more stringent and strict that what we see on the outside because know that if we allow it to run rampant in these agencies, it could have a devastating effect on their ability to deliver services to the Bahamian people and so I mean to date while these agencies have been impacted, I think the numbers are all manageable and we continue to meet on a daily basis.”

Last month, Mr Dames told The Tribune that as many as ten police officers had been infected with COVID-19, adding that more than 100 police officers were in quarantine because of COVID-19 exposure.

Earlier this month, he told a local news station that more than 50 COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the RBPF and 12 in the RBDF.

It is not clear how many officers are currently in quarantine to date. However, in an effort to better protect workers against the COVID threat, Mr Dames said officials have introduced a number of safety protocols among law enforcement agencies such as the implementation of a COVID-19 inspector.

“For example, within the Royal Bahamas Police Force and every division, there is a COVID monitor and it has the responsibility at the divisions,” the Mount Moriah MP said.

“It would be one of the inspectors at the divisions and it would be that officer’s responsibility to ensure that officers are adhering to the protocols because these are frontline agencies and we had to take that extra step – adhering to the protocols and wearing their masks or washing their hands and maintaining social distancing as well as persons coming into these stations that they too are attended to in the safest possible manner.

“The same thing with the defence force, the Commodore and I discussed yesterday a kind of similar set up. In all of the departments there is a COVID monitor and a COVID inspector so to speak whose job it is again to ensure that we are applying the appropriate preventive measures.”

Asked yesterday to respond to criticism that officers were not being careful enough in preventing themselves from catching the virus, the minister insisted that it is not the case.

He said that given the nature of the job, the likelihood of members contracting COVID are bound to happen.

He replied: “I say the police officers are only a microcosm of the wider community. They live within these same communities where we all live, right, and so it is expected... I mean the police force has close to 4,000 members and civilians. That’s a significant number of the Bahamian public and workforce and so again, that will happen. You think people will go out there and intentionally get COVID? Some people are reckless, yes,  but I don’t agree with that for one second.”

Yesterday, the minister also responded to increasing theft concerns in the community of Abaco. The matter has been an issue for the island and its residents since the passing of Dorian in early September.

In recent weeks, many have expressed concern with the lack of police presence on the island, citing a need for more officers to be deployed there.

“Listen, I don’t know where that came from but we never (left) Abaco, “ Mr Dames said. “Since Dorian, we would have had an increased number of resources on both Abaco and Grand Bahama of RBPF and defence force officers.

“You have a chief superintendent on the island with that responsibility and I believe the defence force has a commander and we continue to have weekly updates on what is going on there... But, as far as I am aware, I have no information on a diminished number of human resources from the police standpoint.”