Operation PR?
thenassauguardian editorial
Not long after ending a record-breaking year for murders, The Bahamas has started 2011 on the same sorrowful note.
Criminals have continued their merciless assault. And while murders continue to grab headlines, there have already for the year also been numerous reports of shootings, stabbings, armed robberies and other serious crimes.
Added to this has been an obvious rise in the fear of crime among citizens, many of whom will probably never be victims.
This state of crisis has placed untold pressure on Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade, whose first year at the helm of the Royal Bahamas Police Force has perhaps been the most challenging of his career.
Greenslade and his team are pressured to act.
So it came as no surprise when this week armed squads of officers hit the streets of New Providence in their first major crackdown for 2011.
While the force should be supported and commended for its efforts to keep our communities safe, we wonder if “Operation Rapid Strike” — as the commissioner dubbed it — is little more than a public relations initiative designed to help ease the anxiety that has gripped so many residents.
It seemed foolhardy for the commissioner to announce the operation before it happened, and may have amounted to a message to criminals to go into hiding along with their deadly weapons until the commissioner announces the end of Rapid Strike.
On Wednesday, reporters were called to a news conference at police headquarters to watch the weapon-toting squads hop into their vehicles and fan out across New Providence.
It was obviously intended to send the message of a strong police force with a police chief totally in control of the situation.
But did it?
Greenslade said he was pleased to announce to the public that the operation was in response to the numerous reports of murders, shootings, stabbings and other serious crimes.
“This operation has as its main objective the mission to seek out persons involved in murders, armed robberies, possession of illegal firearms, stealing of vehicles, stabbings, break-ins and all other criminal activity,” he said, adding that suspects in recent murders were being specially targeted.
Greenslade pledged to restore peace and civility to our communities, and added that citizens should be “elated that we have heard from them in a very real way and that we have pulled out, as we said, all the stops.”
But it seemed that police may have risked giving away the element of surprise, unless of course the commissioner assumed that the criminals are not prone to watching the evening news.
The force must be at war with the criminal element in a way more forceful than at any other time in our post-Independence history.
In war, the enemy needs no notice.
We certainly hope that Rapid Strike was more than just a show for the cameras, and a headline-grabbing initiative.
We await the final outcome of this special operation. On its first night, 14 people were taken into custody for various alleged offenses. The commissioner must now ensure that proper cases are put together against those detained. Our force is good at arresting but not as good at case preparation.
We think in future it might be best for the commissioner to send his armed squads out without the glare of the cameras and report on the results once the operation has ended.
The public is growing weary of the public relations exercises of the police force. A result-oriented approach might be more welcomed.
1/21/2011
thenassauguardian editorial
A political blog about Bahamian politics in The Bahamas, Bahamian Politicans - and the entire Bahamas political lot. Bahamian Blogger Dennis Dames keeps you updated on the political news and views throughout the islands of The Bahamas without fear or favor. Bahamian Politicians and the Bahamian Political Arena: Updates one Post at a time on Bahamas Politics and Bahamas Politicans; and their local, regional and international policies and perspectives.
