Commissioner of Police, Clayton Fernander delivered a national statement on Sunday evening in the wake of the US indictment and arrest of Bahamian law enforcement officers among others.  During his presentation he outlined planned initiatives to restore trust in police.

Fernander said of the arrests, “this moment was not just shocking, it was devastating. It cut to the core of the trust that the Royal Bahamas Police Force is meant to represent.”

The Commissioner foreshadowed the introduction of an anonymous whistleblower platform and integrity testing for senior officers. Speaking to police officers Fernander said, “no report will be sweep under the rug. If you are part of the problem you will be found and dealt with.  If you are not prepared to meet the standards the Bahamian people expect this is not the force for you.”

Fernander also explained how he became aware of the indictment and arrest of Chief Superintendent Elvis Curtis and others.  Curtis was the Officer In Charge of the Airport Division.

In addition to laying out the background of the drug trafficking investigation, the indictment also alluded to the involved of a Bahamian politician in the drug trafficking scheme.  “We have not been given the names of any additional police or government officials who may be under suspicion and as far as I know no one else in country has been given the names of any individual or individuals reference to the indictment.”