Dear Editor,
In law enforcement organizations around the world it is accepted that rapid response, early detection, effective prosecution and appropriate sentencing contribute to crime prevention.
The criminal, who becomes aware that he is likely to be caught, is likely to walk away.
Crime prevention education and crime watch programs are very important weapons in the fight against crime. The public must be educated of the dos and don'ts in communities where there is rampant crime.  The public must support its law enforcement agencies and adopt the slogan, 'Notify, Identify and Testify'.
The first response to crime, request for assistance or information on criminal activity requires rapid response and decisive action.  The crime scene must be secured, the safety of witnesses and victims must be assured and information about the incident or suspected criminal activity collected.  There must be the assurance of anonymity and confidentiality, if required.
Rapid response is a goal that our police service has been trying for decades to achieve.  It is noted, that when police can get to the scene of a crime, in particular crimes against the person such as armed robbery and rape, quite often the criminals are encountered at the scene or nearby, resulting in arrests.  It is known to police that past commissioners have been aiming at a three-minute response.
The recent signing of a contract between The Bahamas government and Motorola will introduce a new and modern 919 system to our police arsenal in the fight against crime.  The new system will enhance the rapid response concept and will be a major weapon in the war on crime.
One of the features of the new technology is the commander in the Police Control Center being able to locate, observe and direct the movement of all such vehicles to respond to crime scenes.
The commander will know what is the nearest vehicle to any crime scene and dispatch that vehicle for immediate response. He will also know of other vehicles in the area, should additional assistance be needed.
The government has added yet another crime-fighting tool.
It is very likely that the importance of this new technology will be discussed with the public in due course after the police training has been completed.  There is another feature, that allows officers in the police vehicle to listen to the caller or the victim of the crime while en route to the scene.  The new technology will also improve police/public relations.
In recent years, the police have increased efforts to provide crime prevention education to our public, through the media, advertising, lectures and crime neighborhood watch programs.
It is evident that some of the victims of crime are not responding positively to the police force's effort and are making themselves victims.
Car thefts have increased as owners decline to have anti-theft equipment installed and insurance companies are not encouraging them to do so.
Many home invasions are due to negligence, poor locking devices and the neglect of those who can afford alarms to have them installed.
Some drivers, in particular some females, do not take precautions to lock doors when driving along city streets and have valuables exposed on them or on the front seats.
And some business owners, large and small, neglect to install available crime prevention and detection equipment on their premises.  Criminals target the large sums of money they retain in their businesses and carry around.
The negligent conduct by many victims reveals that the police force's message on crime prevention is not being considered.  Recent examples: A female returns to her residence and immediately observes that her front door, which she left locked, was unlocked.
She also hears noise inside the house.  Yet she enters and is accosted by two armed men.
A business woman is driving on Wulff Road with her bag on the front seat of her car containing cash assets for banking.  The car is not locked, the window is down.  She stops on the traffic light at Market Street.
A man takes the bag from the seat and flees the scene.
A man goes to a bank and collects a large sum of money to pay his employees.  His car is parked a long distance away from the bank.  He is walking to his car with the cash in a bag with the bank's name.
On arrival to his car he places the bag on top of his car to search his pockets for his keys.  The bag of cash was removed by a pedestrian who seized the opportunity,
The community policing philosophy, which is extensively used in our communities, emphasizes the importance of problem solving partnerships.
Crime and disorder are most efficiently solved when all stakeholders are represented in the solution.
 
Yours etc.,
Paul Thompson Sr.

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