With a war brewing between the United States and Iraq, is the country’s defense mechanism equipped and prepared for a possible biological or chemical warfare, Central Detective Unit head Superintendent Marvin Dames was asked Wednesday on a local radio show.
Supt. Dames was a guest on Immediate Response, hosted by Darold Miller where he addressed several issues, including the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s war preparedness and crime in the country.
Listeners to the radio show were concerned about the serious implications of the war, the threat of ‘biological or chemical warfare’ and if the Police were prepared for such an attack.
While assuring that the Force has developed relationships with other international agencies in regard to the war, Supt. Dames said “nothing is going to change.”
“We have officers who would have lost their lives in the call of duty protecting the lives of their people. We’re all one in this fight. This is our country, and we have to do whatever it takes to ensure that it is not overran by criminals,” said Supt. Dames.
Mr. Miller pointed out that as U.S. troops en route to Iraq travel through Kuwait, the natives there are wearing masks in an event of a chemical attack.
In response, Supt. Dames said it would be difficult to state whether The Bahamas is prepared for a chemical attack. He said that if the same question were directed to the United States, for example, they would most likely have a different answer.
He asked: “Is any country prepared for a nuclear attack? The answer you would get to that question the world over is ‘no.’
The country has to now collectively use what at its disposal what it has, including intelligence, he said.
“Wherever you go the world over, after Sept. 11 when they began to look at this matter and dissect, one of the primary discussions was that human intelligence was not used to the extent that it ought to have. Communications broke down between various agencies. You have to address the basic fundamental questions first and foremost…. and communicate with agencies internally as well as externally,” said Supt. Dames.
Environmental scanning is also important in this regard as pointed out by Supt. Dames. In an event that an unknown person comes into the country, there must be investigations to find out the person’s identity in their country. No country is “fool proof,” he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia Pratt recently said the country is at “crossroads,” with uncertainty everywhere. Nonetheless, a strategy is in place to protect the Bahamian people, she assured.
The United States Intelligence Community, has issued an advisory to Americans living in The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, warning them of suspicious activity in and around military facilities, ports, waterways, general infrastructure (bridges, dams, power generating facilities) and targets considered symbolic to U.S. power and influence.
The advisory stated: “Operation Liberty Shield will increase security at our borders, strengthen transportation sector protections, enhance security at our critical infrastructure, increase public health preparedness and make sure all federal response assets can be deployed quickly.”
By Khashan Poitier, The Nassau Guardian
