Police Officers have been described as ‘citizens in uniform’. This depiction should serve as a much needed reminder to some of them who believe that they can act with impunity. When police officers take the law into their hand, they do a disservice to the community and nation they are sworn to serve and protect.
This lesson is one which should be taught and learned by all men and women who would wish to be police officers in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. The same principle applies to all other uniformed workers in the employ of the government of The Bahamas.
Regrettably, by their actions, a number of these officers turn out to be nothing more than criminals in disguise. When discovered, they are depicted as exceptions to rule. They are thereafter dismissed as ‘bad apples’, to use a hackneyed clich�. If these ‘bad elements are allowed to continue, they will bring to nought most of the innovative initiatives for community policing which promise to do so much to heal old divisions between police and society. Many of these hark back to times prior to the achievement of national independence.
In times past, police officers were more often than not feared by most people in the community. This was so because in the slave and colonial eras, the focus was put on the maintenance of social order. This, in turn, implied the creation and establishment of a constabulary which was dedicated to protecting and defending the privileged status and achievements of a minority.
Indeed, a cursory glance of the history of The Bahamas would reveal that police officers were, up until recent times, both hated and feared by people living in heartland communities. Many police officers come to be dreaded by a population which knew that its liberties were being suppressed and sometimes denied. However, as in all things human, change is a part of the social equation.
Over the course of the past three decades and a half – in response to changing world, regional, national and community level imperatives – change has been on the way in the ranks of the police force in The Bahamas. One aspect of this new development comes under the rubric of community policy. Central to this concept is the notion that policing is best when the community and the constabulary are organically linked. In this way, police officers are no longer perceived as an invading force but as an integral part of that community’s self-defence. While this is what is intended, the sad fact of the matter is that in far too many instances, community policing is turning out to be more rhetoric than reality.
One extreme example suffices to illuminate an instance where the police have come in for most unfavourable commentary. This time around the case involves the killing of a young man. The allegation is that he was shot dead by police officers. Enraged by what they perceived as an unwarranted attacked, scores of Bahamians – we are reliably informed – turned their wrath and indignation on the police. In the process, a number of police officers were hurt and a number of police cars and a fire engine were extensively damaged.
While unstated and up to this moment still uncalibrated is the extent to which the image of the police force has been tarnished and its morale undermined by the events of last weekend. We think that it would be safe to surmise that the Royal Bahamas Police Force did not gain many friends for itself last weekend when orders were given to fire on the young man on Kemp Road. Nor did the police force gain for itself many friends in that community when orders were given to use fire hoses and stun grenades to bring a tense situation to closure. While they may have felt that they had no alternative in the circumstance, there is some merit to the argument that the police could have and should have exercised more restraint in how they handled the situation facing them.
We hasten to add, however, that we do understand that police officers are often faced with situations where they are compelled to act quickly and decisively to protect themselves from hurt and harm. This, after all, is their right. It is theirs as much as it is that of members of the community. This underscores the need for police officers to be well trained, focused and mature.
So, while at this juncture, there is nothing that can be done to redeem last Friday’s debacle which left one man dead and so much damage in its wake, the Royal Bahamas Police Force should take the opportunity to re-examine its standard operating procedures, re-dedicate itself to genuine community policing and – otherwise – retool itself for service to all communities in The Bahamas.
When the entire matter is summed up, policemen should be proud to be defined and depicted as citizens in uniform. This is what this new age requires. They should abandon, once and for all, the old image they once had when they were feared, dreaded and seen as an alien and occupying force. Echoes from those times are heard on many streets where police officers are still referred to as “The Man”.
Editorial, The Bahama Journal
