By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

THERE have been no reported murders for the entire month of July, with a senior police officer attributing it to a “consistent” policing effort by members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force. 

Police Chief Superintendent Clayton Fernander, the officer-in-charge of the Central Detective Unit (CDU), told The Tribune that the lack of murders in July--a rarity given the usual crime trends, was due to “collective teamwork across the board from law enforcement” on a “daily basis,” as well as officers taking Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade’s 2016 policing plan “to another level.”

And to cap off the “excellent work” by both police officers and members of the community, Chief Supt Fernander said police have also been “locking up some people” and “getting some good convictions in court.”

Chief Supt Fernander said the RBPF is not “blowing our horns” just yet; however he said the organization remains committed to making “this Bahamas a safe place for everybody to live, play and work at the same time.” According to The Tribune’s records, the last murder recorded was that of Demario Smith aka “Fat Cat” on June 30, which pushed the murder count to 62 for the year.

After the first six months of 2015, the total was 74 on the way to a record year of 146 homicides. 

When contacted yesterday, Chief Supt Fernander said the lack of murders last month is largely due to consistent and efficient policing from members of the RBPF, as well as assistance from members of the public.

“Consistency is the name of the game,” the Chief Supt said yesterday when contacted. “Not just do it today and everything goes quiet and you lay off--consistency. We’ve found a way to sustain the pressure out there and try to remove that fear of crime. The fear of crime is out there in the community and we are trying to remove that. And the only way we could remove that is if we are out there, present in the community, responding to people’s complaints, and following up and being able to communicate with the people.” 

“So I want to commend on behalf of the commissioner, commend all of the officers for excellent work, and then members of the community, who continue to be our eyes and ears out there.”

Chief Supt Fernander also said police have made a concerted effort to reduce gang related conflicts and subsequent murders--particularly those that transpire in night clubs, as well as putting “pressure” on various hot spots in the capital and elsewhere.

“If you look at the commissioner’s policing plan, we talk about targeting prolific offenders, hot spots, we are doing just that,” he said. “When you see all of the shootings to those night clubs. We see the trend what was happening, where two gang rivals buck and then somebody is dead. 

“We are constantly checking the clubs and putting the onus on the club owners to make sure that they are working within the law.

“We continue to go after (drug) peddlers within the community,” he added. “(Individuals) continue to sell drugs and it’s a war in the community. We always talk about drug turfs causing some of the murders. So we are going at that. We are disrupting those things from happening. And if you notice we are locking up some people and we are charging and we’re getting some good convictions in court.”

“So we are not blowing our horns. We are going to continue to be consistent to try to make this Bahamas a safe place for everybody to live, play and work at the same time. We have found a way to sustain some things, and you will see that continue.”

During the budget debate in the House of Assembly in June, National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage said crime was down 29 per cent compared to the same period last year. 

The Bain Town & Grants Town MP stressed that the government will not be satisfied until a much more dramatic reduction in violent crime occurs even as he released statistics that indicate crime is trending downward. 

As part of its crime detection efforts, the RBPF will further develop and properly staff an Anti-Gang Unit; aggressively target active criminals, and monitor prolific offenders. It also plans to acquire a helicopter for “rapid response” to serious crimes and patrol of hotspots, according to the commissioner’s 2016 policing plan. 

The RBPF also plans to continue saturation patrols in areas of high crime and extend the use of closed circuit television (CCTV) to help prevent crime.