NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Former Minister of National Security Marvin Dames came under heavy fire on Thursday morning following his criticism of the Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles; current Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe, in a press statement, lambasted Dames and called his comments, “uninformed, petty, bitter, and dripping with resentment.”
Dames recently opined that the Commissioner’s decision to have police officers operate ambulances with the Family Islands was not a good move; however, Munroe said “Marvin Dames should stop speaking like a man who was wrongfully denied a throne. He was
never Commissioner of Police, and the more he talks, the more obvious it becomes why.”
“His latest attack on the current Commissioner’s decision to use police officers in the Family Islands
to operate ambulances isn’t just uninformed it’s petty, bitter, and dripping with resentment.”
Munroe continued, “He still seems to think the uniform gives him the final word. It doesn’t. That authority now rests with someone who actually earned the respect of the rank not someone who spent a career falling just short of it.”
The National Security Minister’s scolding didn’t end there. Munroe asserted, “Mr. Dames had an ounce of respect for the Office of Commissioner, he would have picked up the phone before picking a fight. Had he done so, he’d know that the Commissioner and her Senior Executive Team have already briefed the Opposition. But his comments make one thing
clear: he’s more concerned with settling old scores than protecting Bahamians.”
Munroe said Dames’ mindset is one that is “vindictive, small, and self-absorbed is the very reason he was never promoted to the role he still covets.”
The National Security Minister’s then sought to draw reference to Dames’ former tenure as Minister of National Security under the Minnis administration, “Let’s talk about his record. Under his watch, police recruitment dwindled. The Royal Bahamas Police Force was left critically understaffed. Ambulances in the Family Islands were either nonexistent or inoperable, and trained EMTs were nowhere to be found. Family Islanders were left to carry loved ones in private vehicles, hoping for the best. Dames did nothing. He stood by while the most vulnerable Bahamians were left behind. His government didn’t just fail to act they refused to care.”
“Compare that to the Davis Administration. From day one, we’ve prioritized rebuilding the Force. We’ve recruited new officers, secured ambulances for the Family Islands, and invested in the training of EMTs. Minister Michael Darville wasted no time sourcing ambulances, deploying them, and ensuring that Bahamians, no matter where they live, have access to basic emergency care. We took a system in collapse and began the hard work of restoration. That is what real leadership looks like.”
Munroe continued, “So when Mr. Dames attacks a policy that puts ambulances on the road and officers in a position to save lives, what exactly is he criticizing? That the Commissioner is doing the job? That police officers are stepping up where the FNM stepped away? It’s almost laughable. The decision to use police officers already first responders, already trained to act under pressure is not only logical, it’s necessary. And to be clear, this is a short-term measure, adopted while a new cadre of Emergency Medical Technicians completes training and is deployed.”
Munroe ended his press statement by noting, “(If) Mr. Dames cannot grasp this (it) speaks volumes. His failure to understand the basic duty of police to protect life isn’t just disappointing it is disqualifying. It confirms, beyond question that the decision not to elevate him to Commissioner wasn’t political. It was practical. It was necessary. He should stop looking backward. The rest of us are too busy trying to save lives.”
