By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

THE CEO of ICS Security Concepts is defending his company’s monitoring capabilities as criticisms mount when it was revealed that a man on bail and wearing an ankle bracelet was found in Canada.

Speaking to The Tribune yesterday, Stephen Greenslade said as soon as the offender, a resident of Harbour Island, arrived in Canada, he was detained by officials there. He later told authorities that he was given permission to leave the country by a magistrate. Canadian officials then released him.

Not long after, Mr Greenslade said, ICS confirmed with assistant police superintendent Christopher Wright in Eleuthera that the offender’s statement was correct. The man, Mr Greenslade said, is expected to return home over the weekend.

“We have current tracking of the offender and full communication with him while he is in Canada,” Mr Greenslade said. “There was no breach committed by the offender in his travel to Canada. His bail conditions did not restrict his ability to travel. He is in possession of his travel documents and has the right to travel anywhere within the Bahamas and out of the country with permission.

“We will provide recorded records of the conversations related to this matter if necessary.”

Several messages were left with National Security Minister Bernard Nottage’s secretary for comment, but no call was returned. Neither authorities nor the government has released details on the matter.

Mr Wright was said to have been unavailable in a call to his office.

When The Tribune broke the story this week, it was understood that no one knew that the accused was out of the country until Tuesday.

This latest breech has prompted the government to consider not renewing ICS’s contract when it expires in November.

Last month, Keith Bell, State Minister for National Security, said the government intends to review the electronic monitoring system and its management company over an “unacceptable” number of breaches.

Both Mr Bell and Prime Minister Perry Christie have expressed doubts over whether the contract with ICS Security Concepts will be renewed later this year.

Speculation over the monitoring system’s efficacy was heightened following the discovery of a badly decomposed body of a man wearing an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet in bushes off an isolated track road on the north-side of the South Beach canal. The man had been missing for quite some time.

The company maintains and monitors more than 300 ankle bracelets.