Last week, The Tribune reported on an accusation that a US tourist had been raped by a jet ski operator.

The date of the alleged incident was April 1. The Tribune reported the incident on April 3. It had not been included in the police crime reports at the time we reported it.

A man was charged over the crime on Monday.

The Tribune duly reported that the details of the crime had not been relayed to the public by the police in the customary fashion.

On Tuesday, Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles defended the reporting practices of the force, saying: “We don’t hold information back from the public. We make sure that everything that comes to our attention that is needed to be known to the public is known to the public.”

She added: “I cannot say why it was not in the crime report, but what I can say to you is that the matter was not initially reported right after the incident occurred.”

However, she did not account for why the incident had not subsequently been included in reports.

There was, we were told, a delay in being able to take a report from the victim of the alleged attack due to them being on another cruise port in The Bahamas.

As we report today, this is not the only incident that has not been publicly revealed.

The US Embassy yesterday said that a second incident involving a US tourist being raped by a jet ski operator took place recently.

Details of the second allegation have not been released.

What is known in both instances is that women were allegedly taken by male jet ski operators from beaches on Nassau and Paradise Island to isolated islands and raped.

Rape is a serious offence and is commonly reported by the police force in its public updates. Quite why that has not been the case here is not known.

There have been other instances this year where The Tribune has been alerted to alleged crimes that have not been reported by police.

One such example is the death of Sammy Thompson, who died three weeks after he was reportedly struck in the head with a bottle at a nightclub in Rock Sound, Eleuthera. An initial request by The Tribune for information was met with a response that no complaint had been filed at the time, but the head of the Eleuthera division later confirmed police received information about a fight days after the incident and had launched an investigation.

Whatever the reason for the failure to include such incidents in the police reports, it ought to be dealt with. Perhaps it is an issue with the reporting network providing information for release, for example.

The family of Sammy Thompson launched a public campaign with the hashtag #JusticeForSammy as they looked for accountability and answers. It should be noted that despite the lack of public announcement regarding Mr Thompson’s death, the family said they have had regular contact with investigators.

In the case of the alleged attacks on US women, there is a requirement that crimes involving US citizens must be reported to the US Embassy.

The reporting structure by which the police notifies the media, and accordingly the public at large, of incidents is important. There should be confidence that all serious crimes are being reported.

That can start by releasing more details on the second rape allegation announced by the US.

The police will certainly know of the importance of this duty. Commissioner Knowles herself in the past was involved in just such a role ensuring the timely release of information.

We hope these are anomalies that can be remedied.

Regardless, The Tribune will be sure to continue to report on crimes as and when our reporters become aware of them and confirm them and not just wait for an official release.

The public needs to know – and that is the only duty that matters.