The addition of 20 hybrid Ford Police Interceptors, donated by the US government to the Royal Bahamas Police Force, were badly needed in the fight against crime, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said yesterday.
“These cars are an important addition to our policing effort in the fight against crime,” Davis said during a brief ceremony at Police Headquarters.
“First and foremost, they are badly needed in order to add capacity. With these new vehicles, you’ll be able to mount additional saturation patrol operations in high crime areas.
“We’ve been hearing this buzz word of saturation patrol. Well, we introduced it when I was in opposition in July 2011. It wasn’t a new invention by us because crime and criminal activity is a worldwide phenomena …
“… This idea of saturation patrol was used very successfully in certain neighborhoods in Chicago. I came across that and said, ‘Look, this could be working here.’
“We invited the government then to introduce it. When we won in 2012 we attempted to get the police to understand what we meant by saturation patrol. I’m happy to see that the commissioner gets it. It’s a wonderful thing. You’ll see the results of it.”
Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander has said that an additional 100 trucks and 50 motorcycles will be added to the force’s fleet to improve saturation patrols.
Davis continued, “I want Bahamians to know that I appreciate that all Bahamians deserve safer neighborhoods. Crime and the fear of crime too often pervade daily life, undermining and limiting our ability to build stronger, healthier and more vibrant communities.
“Now, residents will be able to see and feel an increased police presence and the police will have new capacity to respond quickly to any criminal activity.”
On Friday, Fernander revealed that while overall serious crimes decreased by two percent throughout The Bahamas last year, crimes against the person increased by 23 percent, driven by a rise in murders, sex crimes and armed robberies.
As it relates to saturation patrols, Fernander said police have done their homework.
“We have already analyzed, we know where our hot spots are,” he said.
The prime minister noted yesterday that there are “new initiatives to target gangs and guns using a collaborative multi-agency approach”.
“We are zeroing in on where gangs recruit too, adding a police presence to our schools and beginning a new focus on prisoner rehabilitation,” Davis said.
