Presently, the murder count is at 40 and police officials make a plea to the public to act accordingly so that this number remains the same over the holiday weekend when many people are home from work and school. The Police Press Liaison Officer, Inspector Walter Evans, said that an increased number of persons are expected to be on the streets this weekend throughout The Bahamas.
“We want to encourage persons to travel in a safe fashion and pay attention to other road users…even on various islands for homecoming functions and other planned activities,” said Inspector Evans.
He sent out a warning to all the beach goers and those who may be attending pool parties around the country to be extra cautious around the water, especially if children are involved as these are the events that the police expected to be crowded.
“Supervision is very critical at this point and time,” said the Inspector. “We ask the public’s cooperation in getting this done.”
He mentioned that people should act responsibly over the weekend when indulging in alcoholic beverages and asked that persons who may have a drink or two at a function should not allow themselves to drive home afterwards.
“Persons travel on our streets and they participate in getting involved in various alcoholic beverages, which they consume, and still want to drive a vehicle at the same time,” revealed Mr. Evans. “People that drive on our streets, please do not drink and drive.”
Mr. Evans also asked for all persons who may find themselves in a situation where they have any measure of difficulty in speaking to other persons to try to resolve a situation and to avoid methods that are confrontational. He also asked that these persons refrain from engaging in any practice that involves the use of guns to solve their problems.
“They are to seek the refuge that the police will make available as our resources will be on watch 24/7 for this entire weekend,” said Mr. Evans. “Based on our projected figure of the number of people that we think will be on the islands, our resources will even be deployed to the various islands to attend these huge functions .”
He explained that because many of the Family Islands only have a few officers — which was inefficient for such a time– a number of initiatives would be going on to ensure safety. “Operation Quiet Storm and Operation Quick Response are all initiatives that are going on and officers will do whatever is necessary to ensure that the public is protected.”
Lastly, Inspector Evans said that the entire Royal Bahamas Police Force wishes the entire Bahamas to have a happy and safe Columbus Day holiday.
By: INDIRIA SAUNDERS, The Nassau Guardian
