Assault continues to be the top complaint made to the Complaints and Corruption Unit of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, according to Deputy Commissioner Quinn McCartney.
The second top complaint against officers relates to bribery, said McCartney, who is in charge of force discipline. While he could not provide the number of complaints received so far this year, McCartney said there are too many. In a country with a violent crime problem, officers are often in delicate situations in hostile environments where a reasonable degree of force may be necessary and legally acceptable.
Chief Magistrate Roger Gomez recently said he is concerned about the number of claims of police brutality made by suspects brought before the courts.
In 2010, there were 385 matters reported to the police complaints unit. Of that number, 201 were assault complaints.
In the past few months, several police officers have been terminated. They have been accused of taking bribes, using excessive force and other offenses.
