NASSAU, Bahamas (April 1, 2020) – National Security Minister Marvin H. Dames, M.P., was the special call-in guest on The Rush Hour with Howard and Dazzy, Guardian Radio, 96.9 FM radio show on Wednesday morning where he provided an update on the duties of law enforcement officers during lockdown and underscored the importance of technology in the crime fight.

Minister Dames discussed law enforcement officers, specifically Police and Defence Officers maintaining a balance between their normal tasks and added responsibility of enforcing the emergency orders.

“The Defence Force are continuing to protect our territorial waters from the north to south, east to west, and the Police are continuing to do their work of maintaining law and order throughout our community and ensuring that persons are not going about the business of committing crime at an alarming rate,” he said.

“It’s a very delicate balance,” he said, “We have very finite resources but this is what our law enforcement officers do on a daily basis to keep us safe and they understand that law enforcement is a very dynamic business and in order to ensure that you are ahead of the curve you have to continue to look at your strategies and tweak where necessary”.

Touching on the importance of technology in fighting crime he said law enforcement agencies “have really been pushing technology”.

“Very shortly we will be launching our real time Crime Centre where we integrate all of the technology that we would have acquired and so all of them will be interconnected, said Minister Dames.   He explained that for example if a gunshot is fired, gunshot detection technology will be able to pinpoint the precise location through integration with CCTV cameras in the immediate vicinity.

Minister Dames added that not only the Ministry of National Security but that the Public Service as a whole, has begun a push to modernise government operations through the use of technology.

“We have recognised as a Government since coming into Office that we have to focus on technology to drive the way we do our business to make it much more efficient and to ensure that Bahamians are getting the highest level of service and that they are in the position that if they choose to remain in their homes that they can actually conduct their business,” he said. 

In response to co-host Howard Grant congratulating the Government of The Bahamas for taking proactive measures in the wake of the Corona virus, COVID-19 pandemic, Minister Dames responded that all the efforts are to keep Bahamians and residents safe.

“It is very important for us to continue to work to keep our people safe and our leader continues to lead from the front and we are there to support him to ensure that our people are taken care of,” said Minister Dames.