The Tribune

AND so we have a new Commissioner of Police.

Out goes Clayton Fernander, and in comes Shanta Knowles.

Already a history maker from her first day, becoming the first woman to lead the police force in The Bahamas, Commissioner Knowles inherits a police force that faces a number of challenges, external and internal.

Here are a few things on her plate to deal with from day one.

Murder rate

There is plenty of reason to ask how much the murder rate is down to policing and how much is down to our society, but dealing with it is very much on the plate of the new commissioner.

Her predecessor spoke repeatedly about how the force would keep the murder rate to less than a hundred each year, and failed repeatedly to do so.

The murder rate is also a heavily politicised figure – our current prime minister, Philip “Brave” Davis, was happy to put up signs saying how many were murdered under the FNM administration of the time, and the Coalition of Independents fairly recently did the same to call him out in return.

This time last year, as the murder rate got off to a horrifying start, there was talk from Mr Davis of how murders should not be on the front pages of the nation’s newspapers – a nonsense, of course, and one that brought more bad publicity internationally without changing a thing.

There was also talk of clampdown measures that might impinge on civil liberties – but those never emerged. Even the usual increased presence and road blocks did not seem to appear.

Whatever was or was not done, the final murder count for the year reached 119 – with, I think, one or two cases still to be classified.

By Commissioner Fernander’s measuring stick, regularly keeping the number to double figures rather than treble figures is an attainable goal.

If Commissioner Knowles can achieve that, then it will play a big part in the assessment of how her term leading the police force will have been.

It would also make a significant difference on the streets. We often hear how many of the murders that take place on our streets are reprisal killings. Gangs killing gangs out of revenge. If fewer of those take place, then there are fewer reprisals to occur.

Gang intervention

Speaking of gangs, the new commissioner will be the one almost certainly in charge when anti-gang legislation starts to bite.

The new laws go a step beyond the usual way of policing by making it punishable even just to be a member of a gang. Proving that will be a challenge for the courts, but executing the arrests on the street in the first place, based on the information allowed for in the legislation, will be a task for Commissioner Knowles.

There is the prospect of being able to make significant disruption in gang activities as a result, which in itself could have an effect on crime all around, including murder rates. Quite how gangs respond to such intervention, we do not know. It has the possibility of being a challenging operation for the police to launch, but with the prospect of great rewards if we can impact the murders, the drug smuggling, the gun importation and so on that blights our nation.

Clamping down on corruption

The mention of smuggling drugs and guns brings us to another matter – the allegations of corruption within the ranks of the police itself.

An indictment served in the US alleged Bahamian police and defence force officers were involved in a massive cocaine and gun smuggling operation.

A second corruption investigation involving voice notes featuring a discussion purportedly between a senior police officer, a lawyer and two men who were subsequently murdered, and which centred around the aftermath of $1.5m being taken from a bank car at an airport, has already reported back. The case file for that is now with the Director of Public Prosecutions, and an officer who was arrested and questioned as part of the probe has now resigned.

The now departed Commissioner Fernander had said the investigation also brought up matters involving other officers, though without details.

The case involving the US indictment however is still standing open. As yet, there has been little sound of an investigation here in The Bahamas into the US allegations.

That will be one of the first matters in the new commissioner’s in tray, one would think. Those allegations also involve what is described as a high-ranking politician, whose name has not been revealed, and who we are assured the government does not know. Whether you believe the government on that or not, there has been no action taken against any politician, so the question remains open.

That leaves two corruption probes, the outcome of which could have deep ramifications for the structure of the police force.

Commissioner Knowles has the opportunity to be a new broom to sweep out any officers who may have been involved in things they should not have been. She can rebuild the reputation of the force by strong and determined action.

I hope she is given the support in doing so, to make sure the public can have faith in the force, and that officers in the force are under no doubt as to what is expected of them.

Greater communication

Among the various parts of Commissioner Knowles’ past is that she was once involved regularly in a communications role.

Whatever the merits of Commissioner Fernander, he was not a smooth communicator – and Commissioner Knowles will hopefully make a difference there.

This is a necessity, so that the public can be better informed of how the fight against crime is going – and how they play a part of it.

Officers at crime scenes often tell the media that people can play a part by reporting suspicious actions – and that is true.

Friends who have tried to report suspicious activity, however, have often reported a disinterest from officers when they do so. And colleagues in the media have spoken about how police communication channels have become more restricted, such as a Whatsapp channel with media no longer allowing media to post questions about things they may have heard of, and being slow to report events such as the recent gas explosion, which had no mention in the police channel until the next day.

Good relations with the public and with the media make it more likely that there will be feedback, tip offs and more. That can be part of restoring trust and – while it may not be the top of this list – it certainly plays a part in engaging people to make the change we wish to see in society.

Because in the end, all of this is not about Commissioner Knowles – it is about us. We all need to play our part. I would say it needs to start now, but that would be a lie – it needed to start long ago. But if now is the moment, we need to take it.