He is generally considered a policeman’s policeman, because he is comfortable in delegating responsibility and allowing his officers to do their jobs. It is an administrative style similar to that of Police Commissioner Paul Farquharson.
But much criticism has been levelled against the police recently for their handling of the investigation into the missing Grand Bahama boys… the most telling being that the public was not kept adequately informed of developments in the case.
We suspect that this constriction of public information is more of a political than a law enforcement decision, but when the authorities refuse to deal with the media it is always a cause for concern in a democratic society.
This was the case earlier this week. Police reported a breakthrough in the case, but refused to confirm that human remains had been recovered based on information received from someone they apparently had in custody. They also have yet to explain how the latest dramatic development affects the four boys charged with manslaughter several days ago.
And even as the suspected serial killer was being arraigned in a Freeport magistrate’s court, the police remained silent on the matter… to the point of banning the media from covering the arraignment. And the public should not be forced to wait months or years for the case to come to court to learn more about this killer.
The rumour mill should not be our chief source of information in a matter of such public importance. And the Guardian’s feature story today on the highly accurate profiling of the killer that was kept under wraps for months by the police is a chilling case in point.
How different from the Washington sniper case when police used profiling publicly to advance their investigation.
The media can be a valuable ally to discredit rumours before they do the damage that was done to the good names of several prominent Grand Bahamians recently when they were linked to the disappearances of the boys.
It is time for Mr. Greenslade, or whomever is devising information strategy for the authorities, to return to the drawing board and come up with a new modus operandi more appropriate for the 21st century.
Editorial, The Nassau Guardian
