The Tribune

By KEILE CAMPBELL


Tribune Staff Reporter


kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

A LEAKED police operational order exposed details of a New Providence-wide crackdown targeting illegal firearms, ammunition, drugs and wanted suspects, prompting an investigation into who disclosed the restricted document and warnings that the leak could have helped criminals evade officers.

Commissioner of Police Shanta Knowles said the disclosure could have undermined Operation Clean Sweep and warned that whoever was responsible could face charges within the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

“That is exactly what our concern is,” Commissioner Knowles said when asked whether the leak could have allowed people carrying firearms or ammunition to avoid police.

“Because of the leak of that document,” she said, “those who we are trying to put a control on, it gives them a leeway now to prevent our road checks, to prevent us from executing our duties.”

“Should we uncover where or who leaked that document,” she added, “they will be facing charges within our organisation.”

A copy of the ten-page operational order seen by The Tribune was marked “Restricted” and detailed Operation Clean Sweep, which deployed 114 officers for road checks, searches and patrols between 7pm and 11pm last Thursday and Friday.

The document disclosed officers’ names, ranks, force numbers, divisional assignments and reporting locations, as well as the operation’s command structure and methods. It did not identify the precise streets or intersections where checkpoints would be established.

The August 19 order, signed by acting Commissioner of Police Kirkwood Andrews, placed Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Zhivago Dames in command of the operation.

Its stated objectives included disrupting criminal activity, deterring the movement of illegal firearms, ammunition and drugs and increasing police visibility in targeted communities.

Officers were instructed to conduct systematic road checks, search suspected vehicles and pedestrians, execute arrest warrants, enforce traffic laws and visit nightclubs and restaurants to check compliance with the Liquor Licences Act.

Ms Knowles said the leak “could have hampered the work that the good, decent officers of our organisation are doing”.

Her comments come after at least five people were shot in four separate incidents in New Providence between Friday and Sunday, with three men killed in less than 24 hours.

A man in his early 50s was shot and killed on Soldier Road shortly after 4pm on Friday.

Around 7am on Saturday, another man in his early 50s was allegedly confronted by three men in a silver SUV after arriving at his Joe Farrington Road home. Police said two men got out and opened fire.

The victim ran inside, but the gunmen allegedly followed him and shot him multiple times. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Around noon, a man in his late 30s was shot and killed while doing landscaping work along Gladstone Road, north of Fire Trail Road. Police said a white Japanese vehicle stopped before a male passenger got out and opened fire.

An 18-year-old woman was subsequently arrested as a suspect.

Two men, aged 22 and 31, were wounded shortly before 7pm on Sunday when two gunmen allegedly opened fire on a group outside a Reeves Street residence in Fox Hill. One was shot in the shoulder and the other in the leg.

Despite the weekend violence, Ms Knowles said police statistics did not show a wider increase in crime.

Ms Knowles said officers had been moved from some administrative duties onto the streets, while police continued targeting prolific offenders and conducting lawful road checks and stop-and-search exercises.

She said police vehicles, particularly those operating at night, had also been instructed to patrol with their lights displayed so residents could see officers in their communities.

On efforts to stem the flow of illegal firearms, Ms Knowles said The Bahamas’ geography complicated interdiction but did not relieve authorities of their responsibility to stop weapons from entering the country.

She said anti-gang and firearms officers were working with the Department of Customs and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force to intercept illegal weapons and trace and recover those that reached the streets.

“Last year, we had a major bust,” Ms Knowles said, “where we were able to stop a shipment of 25 weapons and, I think, just over 5000 rounds of ammunition.”

She appealed for information that could help police identify illegal shipments before firearms reached criminals, particularly young people.