By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Staff Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

NO police aides were present when acting Prime Minister Brave Davis and his wife Ann Marie were held at gunpoint and robbed yesterday morning.

Last night, police issued dramatic footage showing two of the three robbers and the vehicle used in the high-profile armed raid at Mr Davis’ Westridge Estates home.

The incident comes five months after Mr Davis’ police aide was shot by armed robbers, and his own declaration that no one was safe from the unrelenting scourge of crime in the country.

According to National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage yesterday, police aides “had not arrived to work yet” when the armed thugs drove up to the residence in a silver coloured Honda shortly after 7am.

The thugs held up Mr Davis’ chauffeur in the driveway, according to Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade, who said the driver was robbed of an undisclosed amount of cash before he was forced to take the gunmen into the house. 

Mr Greenslade said the masked men insisted that the driver take them into “his house”, adding that the incident appeared to be a “crime of opportunity”.

“(The chauffeur) took them into the house given the aggressive demands being made of him,” said Mr Greenslade. “They searched portions of the house where they found some cash. 

“Subsequently these bandits accosted other residents at the house, including the acting prime minister, of whom they demanded additional cash.

“They received additional cash,” said the Commissioner, “and upon receiving the cash left the residence in a silver Honda vehicle.”

Mr Greenslade said no one was assaulted during the incident, aside from the driver who was gunbutted while inside the home.

At a later press conference, Dr Nottage said: “The person who was accosted was a chauffeur. He was not a police officer, he is certainly not a serving police officer.”

Dr Nottage added that the culprits appeared to be “young people”.

In the surveillance video released yesterday, one man is shown wearing a mask and pointing a gun as he got out of the silver coloured vehicle and ran towards the entrance to the home. A second man, without a mask, is shown in another video clip.

The thugs escaped with an undetermined amount of church funds, The Tribune understands. 

In an interview with The Tribune, Anglican Archdeacon Keith Cartwright questioned whether the situation could have turned fatal if Mrs Davis did not have funds from a recent St Christopher’s church event to hand over to the culprits.

Mr Greenslade did not identify the other occupants of the home, He also declined to comment on whether the automated gate at the entrance to the driveway had been left open at the time of the attack.

He added that investigators were satisfied that the driver’s statement was credible.

Despite police claims that Mr Davis did not appear to have been targeted, the incident sparked widespread public concern over security measures for government ministers.

In an earlier incident, Mr Davis’ aide, Sergeant Andrew Sweeting, was shot in his lower abdomen and the left palm of his hand while in front of a residence behind the Prince Charles Shopping Centre on June 24.

Three days later two Nassau Village residents were charged in Magistrate’s court with attempted murder and attempted armed robbery in connection with the shooting.

Yesterday, the acting prime minister called for greater solidarity from the public in the anti-crime fight.

Mr Davis described the chauffeur as a member of his security detail in a press statement, and as an aide in a later post.

In the post on his FaceBook page, Mr Davis said: “The distressing events this morning prove that we all are in this together, and therefore must do even more to help stem the tide of crime and violence in our society.

“We all must lend our voices to building a better nation and remind our youth especially that, through hard work, education and service to others, we together can build a better and more peaceful society.

In an earlier press statement, Mr Davis added: “My wife and I were not harmed during the robbery, thank God. But the number of Bahamians who are the victims of violence does remain unacceptably high. Fighting crime was a priority for us yesterday, and it is a priority for us today, and it will remain a top priority until all Bahamians are safe.”

Yesterday, Mr Greenslade underscored challenges presented by repeat offenders, adding that he felt such persons should be segregated from society.

“We will only succeed,” said Dr Nottage, “if there is a strong partnership between the police and the general public.”

He added: “In making this commitment to the public, I also want the robbers in this matter and in others to know that we are seriously in pursuit of them, that there is no place to hide in New Providence and that we will not stop until we get to the bottom of this and other matters.”

Anyone with information that may assist investigations are asked to contact police at 911, or 919, the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 328-TIPS.