The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE


Tribune News Editor


rrolle@tribunemedia.net

US Ambassador Herschel Walker urged local agencies yesterday to move “without further delay” to implement planned safety reforms for the jet ski industry, voicing concern over another alleged jet ski-related sexual assault.

“As I talk of our partner, I am truly distressed to hear of yet another sexual assault linked to the jet ski industry in The Bahamas,” he said in a statement to The Tribune. “Our prayers are with the victim. Without regular, consistent enforcement, patrols on the beaches, and increased professionalisation of the industry, the situation will not change. We look to all stakeholder agencies to implement without further delay the multi-agency Jet Ski Task Force’s comprehensive plan for safety reform.”

His comments came after police said three sexual assaults were reported within hours of each other on Monday, including one involving a jet ski operator.

In that incident, shortly after 1.30pm, a female visitor from the United States reported paying for an island excursion with friends before accepting a ride from a male jet ski operator. Police said the operator took her to a nearby sandbank, where she was sexually assaulted.

Officers from the Tourism Patrol Unit arrested a 29-year-old male suspect, who is assisting with the investigation.

In a separate incident around 1.00pm, another US national told police she was at a poolside bar at a Paradise Island hotel when she met a male US national who offered to buy her a drink. She later found herself inside the man’s hotel room with no memory of agreeing to go there.

She told officers she felt “frightened and confused,” recalling only that the man kissed her and that she suspects she may have been sexually assaulted. An 18-year-old US male was arrested in connection with that matter.

Hours earlier, shortly after 1.00am, a local woman reported that she was asleep at a residence on Blenheim Road, Stapleton Gardens, when she was awakened by someone touching her. She identified the person as a male relative who allegedly held her down and sexually assaulted her.

Police said investigations into all three incidents are ongoing.

The latest case involving a jet ski operator comes despite a series of regulatory changes and enforcement efforts aimed at improving safety in the water sports sector.

During an interview with Eyewitness News yesterday, acting Port Controller Senior Commander Berne Wright said the suspect was not a licensed jet ski operator but someone who worked with a licensed operator in another capacity.

US officials have previously dismissed explanations that perpetrators were unlicensed.

“In a way it’s worse that he’s not licensed because it means there can be people out there doing bad things,” former US Chargé d’Affaires Lisa Johnson said in 2016 following a similar incident involving an unlicensed jet ski operator. “It means the enforcement and licensing system isn’t working necessarily as it should.”

Last year, Warren Johnson, director of visitor safety and security at the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, said authorities were “turning the corner” in cracking down on rogue jet ski operators following legislative reforms.

He said the changes had resulted in 15 arrests, more than $92,000 in fines, and the seizure of dozens of jet skis and other vessels for breaches of maritime laws.

Mr Johnson also disclosed that enforcement efforts were constrained by limited resources, with the Jet Ski Task Force possessing only six of the 12 vessels it required to effectively police problem beaches in New Providence.

He said the task force had identified concerns about rogue operators at Cabbage Beach, Junkanoo Beach, Goodman’s Bay, Saunders Beach and Montague Beach.

Officials also outlined plans to further restructure the industry, including the creation of a centralised jet ski facility at Goodman’s Bay, where operators would be managed through a controlled system and customers would pay through a vendor booth.

Earlier this month, Acting Port Controller Senior Commander Berne Wright said additional reforms had tightened oversight of the sector.

He said operators are now required to obtain a Class D licence issued by the Port Department and undergo more extensive background checks, including deeper vetting with the assistance of police.

Wright said operators must remain at least 200 feet from shore except at designated access points, stay within assigned areas, and are prohibited from entering hotels with guests.

Authorities have also introduced a code of conduct requiring operators to wear visible identification and company-issued uniforms, while barring harassment of tourists, disorderly behaviour and the carrying of weapons.

The Jet Ski Task Force, a multi-agency initiative, was established to coordinate enforcement, conduct joint operations and engage operators through training and monitoring.

Government and jet ski task force officials did not respond to The Tribune’s requests for comment yesterday.