Police brutality

Every now and then someone makes the claim of being brutally beaten by the police. Sometimes they have bruises and marks about their bodies and they also have photographs to show as proof of their claims. Many times these people say they don't know why it happened to them because they had done nothing wrong and they were seemingly beaten for no good reason.

Some of these stories get into the newspaper and some don't. The perception for many people who read them is that police brutality is prevalent and that there is no redress for it. This brings about a distrust of the police for some people; consequently, and they will not seek to help the police in any way.

Although "justifiable force" while making a lawful arrest is acceptable, however, Commissioner Paul Farquharson has stated emphatically on more than one occasion that no police officer is above the law and that abuse of power by officers will not be tolerated.

This was echoed by the officer-in-charge of the Crime and Corruption Unit, Supt. John Ferguson, at a meet-the-press briefing on Monday. "There is no hiding place, support or cover for overzealous officers who willfully and without cause abuse their powers," Supt. Ferguson said.

Declaring that integrity and honesty as core values of the Police Force, Mr. Ferguson said there is no tolerance for corrupt and dishonest behaviour. This can be readily seen by all who would take the time to read the annual reports that are compiled on the activities of the Force, from which they will get a clear understanding of The Bahamas' crime statistics and what is happening in every area of the Force.

In 2005 there were 292 documented accusations against officers, of which 36 have been completed, 68 are still before the courts and 188 are still being actively investigated. And of the 15 officers arraigned for assault, two were convicted, four acquitted and nine are pending trial. This clearly shows that police officers are not getting away with the wanton brutality of which some of them are justly or unjustly accused.

As stated by Supt. Ferguson, corrupt officers will be exposed when they are found guilty and supervisors are being encouraged to lead in helping to promote a "corruption free" working environment.

The police are there for the protection of the general public, but the people too have to show that they appreciate the police and must act to help them where they can.

Traffic deaths

The traffic deaths jumped from 54 in 2004 to 67 last year, which Supt. Burkie Wright rightly categorised as highly unacceptable. The majority of the deaths (33) occurred in New Providence, which is 21 by 7 miles and where drivers can get to any point in reasonable time without having to break the traffic laws. In Grand Bahama, the statistics were even more startling: The 22 traffic fatalities in 2005 represented a 100 percent increase.

Road users need to be more courteous and to really learn and know the proper usage of the roads with regards to the right of way.

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The Freeport News - Bahamas12 January 2006

Police brutality

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The Freeport News - Bahamas
12 January 2006