The Royal Bahamas Police Force has received the ﾑInternational Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Award for Community Policing.
The RBPF over the last two years has beefed up its community policing initiative through the Urban Renewal Programme, put in place by Prime Minister Perry Christie.
The local force was one of five winners selected out of a pool of 135 entries from across the United States and six other countries.
The RBPFﾴs policing award came in the 100,000 to 250,000 residents category.
In a presentation ceremony at the British Colonial Hilton on Thursday, Police Commissioner Paul Farquharson presented the winning trophy to Prime Minister Christie.
But Mr. Christie returned it to the police commissioner, indicating that it should be on display at the police headquarters.
Mr. Farquharson said, ﾓToday, we celebrate a significant milestone in the history of the police force. There was no way that those of us who saw the potential benefits of this humble, yet dynamic programme, could have envisioned that it would have achieved the success that it has in our communities, or the regional and international acclaim it has received thus far.ﾒ
In his address, Prime Minister Christie said, ﾓItﾴs is a privilege to see the way in which the Commissioner of Police has bought into this programme and defined it for us through the involvement of his police officers and have now gone on to win medals at the regional and world level.ﾒ
Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia Pratt presented the Grand Bahama Urban Renewal team with certificates of commendation from the Commissioner of Police for their outstanding work in Grand Bahama.
The programme, which Mr. Christie has said will be his legacy, has been expanded to other Bahamian islands.
It involves ridding inner-city communities of crime and other anti-social ills through tearing down dilapidated buildings, removing derelict vehicles, and instituting youth and other outreach programmes.
Police officers continue to work with social workers on the initiative.
In conjunction with the ministries of Works, Health and Social Services there was a massive clean up in the ﾓOver the Hillﾒ area.
The project was also spread to Grand Bahama, where the area once known as the ﾓGhettoﾒ has been restored to its former glory, according to Mr. Farquharson.
There have also been Urban Renewal teams established in other areas of Grand Bahama, such as Eight Mile Rock and West End. Since their establishment, a significant impact has been seen, officials said.
This is not the first international recognition the programme has received.
In 2003, the Motorola Community Policing Award was presented to Mr. Farquharson at the 18th Conference of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners held in Bermuda.
Stephen Gay, The Bahama Journal
