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Last Updated: Nov 8, 2021 - 7:53:58 PM |
Nassau, The Bahamas – During his Contribution in the House of Assembly, on November 1, 2021, Minister of National Security the Hon. Wayne Munroe said that his Government holds firmly that the security forces of the nation are among the primary institutions through whose actions the Administration will seek to promote safety and security.
“We look afresh at how our law enforcement agencies are oriented, organized and exercise their mandates,” Minister Munroe said.
Therefore, he pointed out, transforming the Royal Bahamas Police Force which is responsible for the maintenance of law and order and the preservation of peace will be a key priority.
“Utilizing three interconnected forces of technological modernization, investments in human capital through continuous recruitment and globalized exposure for all ranks; and community partnership to address the criminogenic nature of crime and other social ills associated with the same will be a part of my mandate for strengthening the Agency’s capacity,” Minister Munroe said.
“Each of the aforesaid will contribute to reducing the comprehensive landscape of crime and harm which requires a radically different response from the Government, the police and the wider society,” he added. “We will aim to ensure that systems are in place that ensure that we recruit the best, promote the best and provide them with the necessary resources to accomplish the missions that they are assigned.”
Minister Munroe said that his Ministry would invest in the modernization of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF), which, he noted, was responsible for The Bahamas’ territorial sovereignty.
“Critical investments in a modern fleet complemented by other information communication technologies, transportation, deployment, and other means of power projection will be priority,” he said. “Decentralization in the central and southern Bahamas are pivotal to ensuring our domestic border and key infrastructures are less vulnerable to transnational threats.”
Minister Munroe said that, to ensure that the RBDF was sustainable in a growingly complex security landscape, his Government would ensure that it was “superbly equipped, led, and trained through recruitment and professional development opportunities for all ranks”.
“The Royal Bahamas Defence Force is yet another institution in this nation that was created by the vision of a Progressive Liberal Party Government led by the late great, Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling,” he noted.
Minister Munroe added that, as the missions of the RBDF have been increased, manpower and resources needs went unaddressed.
“We commit to rebuild and restore this vital guardian of our sovereignty to the status set for it by Sir Lynden and his government as its command takes bold steps to revolutionize its execution of mission objectives,” he said.
Minister Munroe noted that, during the prior week, the RBDF Force received and commissioned its second long range radar at HMBS Coral Harbour courtesy of the Government of the United States.
“We are appreciative to the Government of the United States, particularly the Department of Defence, for the donation of a second long-range coastal radar as an added dimension to our security efforts,” he said. “Recent meeting with the U.S. Northern Command and NORAD led by General Glen VanHerck and the U.S. Chargé de Affaires in The Bahamas, Mrs. Usha Pitts, sealed the U.S.’s commitment to donate additional radars with the next installations expected in Great Exuma and Ragged Island.”
The donation of those radars form an integrated networking system to expand the RBDF’s ability to detect, localize, and track vessels in the waters surrounding the nation through better domain awareness, Minister Munroe said.
“The partnership between The Bahamas and the United States speaks volumes to our shared commitment and safety for the region,” he added. “We hope to continue our discussions, shared vision and areas of common interests. As our Prime Minster noted, ‘When we make the waters of The Bahamas safer, the U.S. border is safer as well’.”
Minister Munroe said that his Ministry would seek to transform The Bahamas Department of Correctional Services into a rehabilitative institution, in alignment with its mandate, which was to “house inmates in a controlled, safe, secure and humane environment that encourages rehabilitation and successful reintegration into society”.
“Central to this reform will be human rights and consideration to family and community factors,” he said. “Incarceration is a deprivation of a right to liberty and is not to be a restriction on other human rights.”
“Therefore, we pledge to improve the infrastructure of the institution into a more habitable and rehabilitative model,” Minister Munroe added. “This will serve to promote more inmate social and educational programmes through partnership with BTVI and the National Training Agency designed to teach life skills and promote economic opportunities upon release.
“Further, we will create professional advancement opportunities for Officers to improve the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the institution. This will entail introducing a functionally operational organizational hierarchy and future leaders equipped with the leadership traits necessary to facilitate rehabilitative reform.”
Minister Munroe said that his Ministry intended to formally commence consultation on the Report of The Bahamas Parole and Re-entry Committee. The recommendations in the Report, with the proposed legislation contained therein, would serve to further advance the transformation of the nation’s corrections system, he noted.
“The parole system will seek to expand and facilitate the conditional release of offenders as part of a Parole Program,” Minister Munroe said. “The legislation will also enhance the powers of the courts to grant probation and other forms of conditional release of offenders underpinned with a comprehensive safe and secure system.”
He also referred to the creation of the Department of Offender Rehabilitation and Welfare Services, as a statutory body tasked with the management and administration of all matters relating to the rehabilitation and welfare of offenders on conditional release.
“The goal is to design a program that will assist in maximum rehabilitation, reformation and reintegration into society of inmates and other offenders as law-abiding citizens through support and supervision,” Minister Munroe said.
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