“Everyone is responsible for crime in their communities; everyone is a police officer”
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) does not anticipate an uptick in crime after the public state of emergency and emergency orders end on November 13, according to Police Press Liaison Officer ASP Audley Peters.
“We do not anticipate the increase of crime, but whatever the eventuality is, we will be able to respond to it and to do so adequately,” he told Eyewitness News.
The Bahamas saw the enactment of a public state of emergency and emergency orders under the Minnis administration on March 17, 2020, days after the first recorded coronavirus case in the country.
It will have been in effect for a total of 607 days up to the date of its discontinuation.
Peters asserted that crime trends do not support the notion that criminal activity will increase due to the discontinuation of a mandated curfew.
“For the most part, crime within the Commonwealth of The Bahamas is either one of opportunity or premeditated by individuals in some situations that we cannot control,” he said.
Outlining the RBPF’s method for handling crime, Peters added: “We simply respond to the issues as they arrive. Where we can mitigate, we deploy resources and do so because the primary function is prevention and detention.
“If we’re not able to prevent, we take the role of detection. So, we respond in respect to those two principles.”
Peters advised the community to “govern” themselves amidst the dissolution of the curfew.
He said: “We simply want to encourage members of the community to govern themselves as we continue to navigate this pandemic.
“If crime occurs, report it to the police. If they are aware of individuals who are planning or about to commit offenses, to report it to the police so that we can take the necessary action.
“Everyone is responsible for crime in their communities; everyone is a police officer.”
The Minnis administration previously came under fire for implementing varying curfew periods.
On the campaign trail, the then opposition Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) decried the emergency orders, vowing to discontinue them if elected.
After the PLP’s sweeping election victory in September, newly sworn-in Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis made it his first order of business to adjust the curfew from 9pm to 5am to 12am to 5am.
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