Police Force Tackling Crime While Facing Scrutiny

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles says her senior team has begun the process of ensuring officers follow the rules and codes of the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

This comes at a time when the force has been rocked by controversy and claims of corruption, after a senior officer and others were implicated in a drug smuggling ring, revealed by a shocking U.S. indictment last fall.

Speaking candidly, Knowles says the Inspection Review Branch has now been established.

Shanta Knowles – Commissioner of Police
“The Inspection Review Branch has been established. We have already started inspecting stations, and the integrity of the ethics training has begun. We have completed New Providence and Eleuthera, and this week, we’re in Exuma and Grand Bahama, then moving to the other Family Islands. We will continue to talk to officers about ethics, policies, and encourage them not to offend our policies, and most importantly, not to offend the law.”

While the force continues to repair its image, it remains committed to its mandate: protecting residents by fighting crime.

Shanta Knowles – Commissioner of Police
“People ask, ‘What is your plan?’ The Constitution of The Bahamas already outlines our plan. It tells us what is expected of our organization. We have long known that what we are seeing in our communities is largely due to drugs, and we are targeting them, seriously targeting them. My mindset is to go out there and do what is required of us, not to offend anyone, but to get the job done.”

Knowles says that despite the negative press, many good officers are doing their best every single day.

Shanta Knowles – Commissioner of Police
“I thank them for their service. It is not easy to put on this uniform in the face of adversity, negative comments, and sometimes cruel remarks. But when an officer can adorn himself or herself in this uniform and go out to face the public in times like this, it speaks of courage and dedication.”