Bahamas News
Prime Minister Davis Lauds Both Incoming and Outgoing Commissioners of Police
By: Eric Rose
Bahamas Information Services
#TheBahamas, July 15, 2022 – During his remarks at the Handing-Over Ceremony of the Office of Commissioner of Police of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF), on July 5, 2022, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. Philip Davis noted that formal policing in The Bahamas went back to 1840, making the RBPF one of the longest-established institutions in the country.
He added that traditions, such as the Handing-Over Ceremony, symbolised not just the continuity of the institution, but also the continuity of Bahamian democratic traditions.
“At a time when so many other democracies are experiencing significant challenges, we should be justifiably proud that, here in our Bahamas, the fundamental role and responsibilities of policing are so deeply entrenched,” Prime Minister Davis said, at the ceremony held at the RBPF Headquarters, on East Street.
Among those present included Governor General His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Cornelius A. Smith; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation the Hon. Chester Cooper, Minister of National Security the Hon. Wayne Munroe and various Cabinet Ministers; Leader of the Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition the Hon. Michael Pintard; Chief Justice the Hon. Sir Brian Moree; senior Government officials and heads and officers of the uniformed branches; diplomats; law enforcement stakeholders; family members and well-wishers.
“This transfer of new leadership today, at its heart, is a renewed commitment to the fight against crime,” he added. “Our administration is also committed to the wider responsibilities of policing, which is to maintain public order and safety, and to enforce the law.”
Prime Minister Davis pointed out that, during the past 49 years since Independence, this was only the second Commissioner of Police to be appointed by a Progressive Liberal Party Administration. “And so in the Commissioner, we think it important that he is able to work within our approach to policy, which reflects both the progressive values we represent, and the mandate upon which we were elected,” he said.
Prime Minister Davis continued: “First and foremost, this means that we see policing in general, and the fight against crime in particular, as an effort that must be conducted in partnership with the Bahamian people.” He noted that in the platform document, ‘A Blueprint for Change’, his Government made a solemn commitment to strengthen the nation’s security by ‘… enhancing crime fighting methodologies in our aggressive war against crime’.
“We stand firmly behind that commitment,” Prime Minister Davis said.
“That said, we do not view policing as something which is to be inflicted upon our citizens and residents,” he added. “The reflexive, heartless approach of recent years of ‘just lock them up’, is not one that we endorse or share.”
Prime Minister Davis said, to be clear, however, his Government will continue to increase its muscular response to crime, and violent crime in particular.
“We will continue to use every available resource to dismantle the gangs which plague our society, and work with neighbouring countries to stop the flow of illegal weapons into The Bahamas,” he said. “Gangs and weapons are the two critical factors driving the high murder rate we are currently experiencing, with the almost weekly tit-for-tat
killings between gangs.”
Prime Minister Davis noted that more aggressive policing, on its own, was not the whole answer.
“We understand that fighting crime requires more than just responding to an offence,” he said. “It’s also about conflict resolution, prevention, intervention, punishment, and rehabilitation. The Government will continue to spend more on community policing and ‘violence-disrupters’. And we will continue to offer safety net programs for young people.”
Prime Minister Davis noted the Urban Renewal Trust Foundation was recently formally relaunched, to assist in this effort. He added that other initiatives, such as ‘Swift Justice’, and the ‘Citizens’ Justice and Security Programme’ will continue to strengthen his Government’s approach.
“We will also continue to invest in education and job programmes that can confront and overcome the sense of hopelessness felt by so many young men, who resort to a life of crime as a means of gaining self-esteem and opportunity,” he said.
“And with the building of a new prison, and an expansion of rehabilitation schemes, we will do what we can to ensure that when people complete their jail sentences, and re-join society, they are supported and enabled to ensure that they do not re-offend,” he added.
Prime Minister Davis said that, along with those initiatives, which were focused on the offender, his Government was also extremely mindful of the need to offer better support to those who were victims of crime. “Every criminal act
impacts upon those who are victims of it,” he said. “But those who are victims of serious, life-changing crimes, need more, along with the encouragement to trust the police to do their job, and not engage in any individual, vigilante efforts.”
Prime Minister Davis pointed out that he set out those thoughts in relation to policing to highlight the charge given to both the outgoing and incoming Commissioners.
He also noted that the background and experience of both represent “some of the finest in the policing tradition of our country”.
Prime Minister Daivs said that, since joining the RBPF in 1983, outgoing Commissioner Paul Rolle had enjoyed a distinguished career in law enforcement.
“Among his many assignments, Commissioner Rolle served as Officer-in-Charge of the Central Detective Unit, Head of the Police Training College, and Officer-in-Charge of the Crime Detection Unit (CDU), during which time he concluded and placed more than 2,400 cases before the Supreme Court,” he noted.
“After attaining the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police in 2017, Mr. Rolle was instrumental in establishing the Anti-Corruption Unit.
“My government and I thank Mr. Paul Rolle for his public service, and wish him well in his new assignment.”
To the incoming Commissioner of Police, Deputy Commissioner Clayton Fernander, Prime Minister Davis extended a welcome and congratulations.
“He is also a career law enforcement officer with almost four decades of policing, administrative and investigative experience,” Prime Minister Davis said.
“He has worked in the Traffic Division, the Criminal Investigations Department, and served as a Divisional Commander; on the Selective Enforcement Unit,” he added. “He has been part of the Central Detective Unit, and, as Assistant Commissioner was a member of the Senior Executive Leadership Team when, in 2017, he assumed responsibilities for the Crime Management Portfolio.
Prime Minister Davis pointed out that, following his return to active duty in September 2021, Mr. Fernander took on
a “new and more challenging role” when he assumed the Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Portfolio as Deputy Commissioner of Police.
Prime Minister Davis also mentioned that, in 2013 Mr. Fernander was shot during an attempted armed robbery, an incident “which not weaken his resolve to serve in law enforcement”. We look forward to his bringing the same courage and tenacity to his role as Commissioner,” he said.
Prime Minister Davis said that it was arguable that the job of policing in The Bahamas has never been more challenging or more demanding.
“The change of leadership signified by today’s handing-over ceremony, contains within it my administration’s commitment to strengthen the rule of law, the preservation of good law and order and the maintenance of the peace, and a resolute determination to win the fight against crime in our country,” he said.
“Commissioner Fernander is the right man for the job.”
Photo Caption: Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. Philip Davis speaks, during his remarks at the Handing-Over Ceremony of the Office of Commissioner of Police of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF), on July 5, 2022, at the RBPF Headquarters. Among those present included Governor General His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Cornelius A. Smith; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation the Hon. Chester Cooper, Minister of National Security the Hon. Wayne Munroe and various Cabinet Ministers; Leader of the Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition the Hon. Michael Pintard; Chief Justice the Hon. Sir Brian Moree; senior Government officials and heads and officers of the uniformed branches; diplomats; law enforcement stakeholders; family members and well-wishers. (BIS Photos/Eric Rose)
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.
