Members of the Bahamian public filed 398 complaints against 8.2 percent of officers on the police force in 2002, according to Assistant Superintendent Franklyn Dames. <\/P><\/p>\n
Of these, 170 are still under active investigation; 140 have been completed and 88 are subjudice. <\/P><\/p>\n
The complaints ranged from allegations of minor misconduct to assaults as well as false arrests and imprisonment. <\/P><\/p>\n
Overall, complaints were made against 255 officers. Eight officers having three complaints each against them. Four complaints were made against one officer and seven complaints were made against another officer. <\/P><\/p>\n
The number of complaints received in 2002 were down by two from 2001, police figures show. <\/P><\/p>\n
“Fifty-four percent of the 140 matters that were completed were substantiated with the remaining 46 percent lacking sufficient evidence to be substantiated,” Mr. Dames said. <\/P><\/p>\n
Thirty-one reports of corruption were made last year compared with 28 in 2001. <\/P><\/p>\n
Twenty-four of them are still under active investigation while seven were completed. Four complaints were also filed against officers of another law enforcement agency. <\/P><\/p>\n
Seventy-five percent of the complaints charged unethical behaviour. <\/P><\/p>\n
The Royal Bahamas Police Force has just over 3,000 police officers, including reserve officers and civilian aides. <\/P><\/p>\n
Assistant Superintendent Dames said that the majority of complaints were made against officers who had less than ten years service on the force and perform mostly front line policing duties. <\/P><\/p>\n
Commissioner of Police Paul Farquharson has agreed to start remedial courses this year for those officers who had numerous complaints lodged against them. <\/P><\/p>\n
“The course is expected to focus on assisting officers to be more sensitive to the rights of members of the public as they discharge their duties,” Mr. Dames said. <\/P><\/p>\n
Just recently, the Government announced the composition of a civilian branch of the complaints and corruption branch, headed by businessman Carleton Williams. <\/P><\/p>\n
The appointment of this unit is expected to speed up addressing the complaints and also help to ensure fairness in conclusions reached.
\n
The Bahama Journal<\/B><\/P><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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