The Nassau Guardian
Bell defends Greenslade
Minister of State for National Security Keith Bell yesterday defended Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade in the wake of controversy surrounding the discrepancies between hospital records and police statistics.
Bell, who was speaking at a crime forum at The College of The Bahamas’ Harry C. Moore Library, said the concerns are unwarranted.
Dr. Duane Sands recently released records from Princess Margaret Hospital which indicates that the number of people treated for gunshot injuries and rape related injuries in 2013 is greater than the number of incidents police reported.
Bell said he has no reason to question the police’s crime statistics, adding that Greenslade’s character is being unfairly attacked.
“Over the last two years there has been a direct attack on the personal character of the commissioner of police which I believe is poor,” Bell said.
“This debate about the police statistics being different than the hospital is another attack on the commissioner of police and I hold the commissioner to be an honest and God fearing man of the highest integrity.”
Sands previously suggested that the disparity between the hospital records and the crime statistics is a result of political interference. Although he added that he has a great deal of respect for Greenslade.
Bell said he was “completely bewildered that a professional would go out there and deliberately deceive the Bahamian people”.
Greenslade, who was also a panelist in yesterday’s forum, said he has a “problem” with people questioning his integrity.
He maintains that the crime statistics accurately reflect the level of “serious” crime in the country.
Greenslade added that the root of the crime problem won’t be fixed by adding more patrol cars, more police men or even by removing him as commissioner.
“So I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “Where do you want me to go?”
Bell said the hospital and the police use different methods to collect their data and both entities use their data for different purposes.
According to data provided by police, 197 people were shot last year.
However, PMH Emergency Room statistics show that 278 people were treated for gunshot related injuries in 2013.
Additionally, according to hospital statistics, 147 people were treated after reportedly being raped and the police reported that there were 104 rape reports in 2013.
As it relates to the disparity in the number of shootings, Bell said based on the severity of the injury, the police place those incidents in various categories.
“The reality is when... the hospital calls and indicates that a persons is there suffering from gunshot wounds, the police would respond and the police would send a form called the hospital form which is completed by the hospital physician,” Bell said. “Depending on what the physician says is the nature of the injuries would determine how police categorizes the matter in their crime statistics.”
Bell said the categories range from simple assaults to causing harm, and causing grievous harm to murder.
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