NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Murder and armed robberies are trending up, according to Royal Bahamas Police Force Commissioner, Clayton Fernander.
Over the past week, eight guns along with ammunition were confiscated by RBPF officers. Fernander credits these findings to increased operations and police presence in hot spot areas.
“Saturated patrols and presence in these hotspots consistently will continue to work for the police,” Fernander said.
He recalled a shooting incident that occurred on Saturday night when police ran down three suspects in a car chase and guns were confiscated.
“During the search police found three loaded pistols in the vehicle and those weapons were recovered.”
Fernander thanked both officers and members of the public for working together in these investigations.
Significant information from the previous incident also led to a police search in the Dunmore Street area of a house where a high-powered weapon was found. As a result, officers took ten people into custody.
“An AK was recovered, AR 15 just in the front of me with a pistol, and a number of ammunitions were found in that same yard so something is going on in that Dunmore Avenue and we will break the back of that criminal activity that is going on in that area,” Fernander said.
The police commissioner also underscored the launch of the Firearms Trafficking Task Force which is expected to come onstream within the next two to three weeks. He recognized the Gang Unit in Grand Bahama, the new firearms task force that is expected to work alongside officers there in the future.
Ferguson said: “That’s a wide area you know you have the container port where thousands of containers come through there every day and based on our intel we believe that firearms and the record is there, where we arrested persons coming right through the container port and even through our domestic area.”
In addition to the establishment of a new task force and saturated police patrols in high crime areas. Fernander says roadblock stops and searches are being conducted more frequently to tackle the illegal firearms issue.
Armed robberies have also seen an uptick, and Fernander gave a warning to those contemplating committing the crime.
“I want to encourage the young men who continue to commit armed robberies to stop it because either you will lose your life or you will go to jail for 15, 20 years for $150, $200?
“But there is a trend and moving into the holidays you will see all of the offices empty there will be more patrols out there,” he said.
Fernander says he believes that the Police Force is on the right track, however, consistency in execution is needed for continued success.
“Either we will catch them in the act or we will catch them on. The scene and you will see that in our saturated patrols on hot crime areas,” Fernander said.
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