Bahamas News
New Security Scanning Machine installed at LPIA to enhance Travel Experience
NASSAU, The Bahamas — Against the backdrop of a peak travel Easter Season, the governments of The Bahamas and the United States commissioned a state-of-the-art Security Scanning machine, which would allow for enhanced safety measures, and seamless process of passengers through Lynden Pindling International Airport.
The Hon. Wayne Munroe, Minister of National Security.
On hand for the Commissioning and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony were the Hon. Wayne Munroe, Minister of National Security; Kimberly Furnish, Charge d’Affaires, United States Embassy, Nassau; Latia Duncombe, Director-General of Tourism; Vernice Walkine, President & CEO, Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD); Paul Bevans, Chairman of the Board, Airport Authority; and other officials. The ceremony was held Thursday, April 17, 2025 amidst the hustle and bustle of thousands of passengers who were being processed through US Departure/Terminal C at the LPIA. Deemed it a “red letter day” in airport security, Mr. Munroe said it ushered in a new era of safety and security with the state-of-the-art equipment valued at over $2.2 million.
He said that the Davis Administration is resolute in ensuring that the gateway to The Bahamas meets the highest standards while upholding international airport protocols.
Through collaborative efforts between the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, the Airport Authority, and the Transportation Security Administration, the venture was explored and undertaken.
“Toward this end, the Government of The Bahamas made this capital contribution for the purchase of the Hi-Scan system and R&S security scanner to be used at the Lynden Pindling International Airport,” Mr. Munroe said.
The successful two-week trial run at the US checkpoints ended on Wednesday, April 16, 2025; just prior to the commissioning ceremony.
This acquisition represents a significant investment by the Government of The Bahamas, reflecting a strategic initiative to modernize and align aviation security infrastructure with the latest global innovations. The upgrades will not only enhance the efficiency of screening operations but also strengthen the overall safety and reliability of the passenger experience.
“The Government of The Bahamas’ investment is not only about improving safety and efficiency of air travel but about the peace of mind of travelers. This investment is about ensuring that travelers, visitors and residents alike, who pass through our airport do so with the utmost confidence that their security is our top priority,” said the National Security minister. “Further, with the implementation of this modernized equipment, we will be able to improve travel for our visitors and residents.”
Use of the machine is the first system to allow for the early detection of explosives at security checkpoints. It features dual views, which provides the user with two detailed perspectives for conducting manual analysis, creating a fast and reliable evaluation process. Additionally, this equipment comes with an associated recheck station for continued inspection of passenger bags during searches of suspected luggage.
Mr. Bevans said that the Airport Authority entered into a contractual agreement with the Canadian company Sectus Technologies, to provide security-screening equipment for the US checkpoint at LPIA.
“Our team worked tirelessly along with the team from Sectus to establish what we see here today,” he said. “These new machines are state-of-the-art, allowing both visitors and locals to move through security screening and be processed quickly,” Mr. Bevans said. “This will definitely make traveling more enjoyable.”
Kimberly Furnish, Charge d’Affaires, United States Embassy. Pictured right is the Hon. Wayne Munroe, Minister of National Security.
Garrett McKinney, Grade I Aviation Security Officer said that Airport Authority remains fully committed to upholding the highest safety and regulatory compliance standards, in close collaboration with its partners, the Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and in alignment with established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). “We also remain accountable to our national regulatory bodies—the Civil Aviation Authority of The Bahamas (CAA-B) and, by extension, the Aviation Security and Facilitation Oversight Department,” he said. President and CEO of NAD Vernice Walkine also spoke to the collaborative efforts in acquiring the security scanning equipment, which will help to enhance the overall traveling experience.
Ms. Walkine said that as LPIA continues to push toward achieving a 5-star rating, it is imperative that every stakeholder plays their role in upholding the highest standards of operations.
“Your support is vital in helping us elevate the level of service, efficiency, and security at LPIA,” said Ms Walkine. “Having access to the latest security scanning technology is not only a convenience – it is a necessity. These new additions will enhance the Airport Authority’s ability to process passengers more quickly and accurately, allowing for a smoother, safer journey for all.”
Kimberly Furnish, Chargè d’Affaires, United States Embassy, Nassau spoke to the importance of border protection and security, and the strong partnership with The Bahamas Government and the relevant stakeholders in relation to the commissioning of the security scanning machine.
PHOTO CAPTIONS
BIS Photos/Kemuel Stubbs
Header: The governments of The Bahamas and the United States held a Commissioning and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for a state-of-the-art Security Scanning machine in the US Departure/Terminal C at Lynden Pindling International Airport on Thursday April 17, 2025. The Hon. Wayne Munroe, Minister of National Security, and Kimberly Furnish, Charge d’Affaires, United States Embassy, Nassau, cut the ribbon, flanked by tourism and aviation officials.
PM: Project delivers on promise and invests in youth, sports and national development
GRAND BAHAMA, The Bahamas — Calling it the fulfillment of a major commitment to the island, Prime Minister Philip Davis led the official groundbreaking for the Grand Bahama Aquatic Centre, a facility the government says will transform sports development and create new opportunities for young athletes.
Speaking at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex on February 12, the Prime Minister said the project represents more than bricks and mortar
— it is an investment in people, national pride and long-term economic activity. The planned complex will feature a modern 50-metre competition pool, designed to meet international standards for training and regional and global swim meets. Davis said the facility will give Bahamian swimmers a home capable of producing world-class performance while also providing a space for community recreation, learn-to-swim programmes and water safety training.
He noted that Grand Bahama has long produced outstanding athletes despite limited infrastructure and said the new centre is intended to correct that imbalance, positioning the island as a hub for aquatic sports and sports tourism.
The Prime Minister also linked the development to the broader national recovery and revitalisation of Grand Bahama, describing the project as part of a strategy to expand opportunities for young people, create jobs during construction and stimulate activity for small businesses once operational.
The Aquatic Centre, he said, stands as proof that promises made to Grand Bahama are being delivered.
The project is expected to support athlete development, attract competitions, and provide a safe, modern environment for residents to access swimming and water-based programmes for generations to come.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
The Bahamas, February 15, 2026 – For the better part of three years, Bahamians have been told that major Afreximbank financing would help transform access to capital, rebuild infrastructure and unlock economic growth across the islands. The headline figures are large. The signing ceremonies are high profile. The language is ambitious. What remains far harder to see is the measurable impact in the daily lives of the people those announcements are meant to serve.
The Government’s push to secure up to $100 million from Afreximbank for roughly 200 miles of Family Island roads dates back to 2025. In
its February 11 disclosure, the bank outlined a receivables-discounting facility — a structure that allows a contractor to be paid early once work is completed, certified and invoiced, with the Government settling the bill later. It is not cash placed into the economy upfront. It does not, by itself, build a single mile of road. Every dollar depends on work first being delivered and approved.
The wider framework has been described as support for “climate-resilient and trade-enhancing infrastructure,” a phrase that, in practical terms, should mean projects that lower the cost of doing business, move people and goods faster, and keep the economy functioning. But for communities, that promise becomes real only when the projects are named, the standards are defined and a clear timeline is given for when work will begin — and when it will be finished.
Bahamians have seen this moment before.
In 2023, a $30 million Afreximbank facility for the Bahamas Development Bank was hailed as a breakthrough that would expand access to financing for local enterprise. It worked in one immediate and measurable way: it encouraged businesses to apply. Established, revenue-generating Bahamian companies responded to the call, prepared plans, and entered a process they believed had been capitalised to support growth. The unanswered question is how much of that capital has reached the private sector in a form that allowed those businesses to expand, hire and generate new economic activity.
Because development is not measured in the size of announcements.
It is measured in loans disbursed, projects completed and businesses expanded.
The pattern is becoming difficult to ignore. In June 2024, when Afreximbank held its inaugural Caribbean Annual Meetings in Nassau,
Grand Bahama was presented as the future home of an Afro-Caribbean marketplace said to carry tens of millions of dollars in investment. What was confirmed at that stage was a $1.86 million project-preparation facility — funding for studies and planning to make the development bankable, not construction financing. The larger build-out remains dependent on additional approvals, land acquisition and further capital.
This distinction — between financing announced and financing that produces visible, measurable outcomes — is now at the centre of the national conversation.
Because while the numbers grow larger on paper, entrepreneurs still describe access to capital as out of reach, and communities across the Family Islands are still waiting to see where the work will start.
And in an economy where stalled growth translates into lost opportunity, rising frustration and real social consequences, the gap between promise and delivery is no longer a communications issue.
It is an inability to convert announcements into outcomes.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
A hardline strategy that reduced murders, gunfire, and collateral deaths
The Bahamas, February 8, 2026 – What happens when police stop routinely granting bail to high-risk suspects and aggressively execute outstanding warrants? In The Bahamas, the answer in 2025 was fewer murders, fewer gunshots, and safer communities.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force arrested 4,337 individuals on outstanding warrants last year, ensuring suspects were brought directly before the courts instead of being released back onto the streets. At the same time, police significantly curtailed the use of police bail for high-risk and repeat offenders, particularly those already entangled in violent disputes.
Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles said the shift was informed by hard lessons from previous years. Intelligence reviews showed that
many homicide victims were not random targets, but men already wanted by law enforcement and — critically — by other criminals. When released on bail, those individuals often became targets themselves, triggering retaliatory shootings that spilled into neighbourhoods, roadways and public spaces.
By keeping high-risk suspects in custody pending court appearances, police say they disrupted that cycle — removing both potential offenders and potential victims from the streets.
The impact was stark. Murders declined by 31 percent in 2025, falling from 120 in 2024 to 83, the largest percentage decrease in homicides since national tracking began in 1963 and the lowest murder count in nearly two decades.
Police leaders say the strategy also reduced the collateral damage that had increasingly alarmed communities. Innocent residents had been caught in “sprays of gunfire” as targeted attacks unfolded in residential areas, at traffic stops, and in public settings.
Gun-violence indicators reflected the change. Gunshot reports fell by 35 percent, while incidents detected by ShotSpotter technology declined by 29 percent, confirming that fewer shots were being fired across the country.
“Gunshots ringing out and cutting through our peaceful paradise were down remarkably,” Commissioner Knowles said, attributing the improvement to decisive enforcement, tighter bail practices, and sustained pressure on offenders.
Police also intensified enforcement against breach of bail conditions, charging and detaining more suspects than in any previous reporting period. Officers say the approach removed the opportunity for repeat offending while matters were before the courts.
Police leadership said the results go beyond statistics. By limiting bail for high-risk suspects and executing warrants at scale, the strategy saved lives, protected bystanders, and restored confidence in public safety.
In 2025, fewer people were hunted, fewer bullets were fired, and fewer families were left grieving — a shift police say was no accident, but the result of deliberate, hardline choices.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
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