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By Sonia Farmer
Lyford Cay Foundation Scholar
Pratt Institute '09
Given the daunting challenges presented by crime in The Bahamas, it’s wonderful to know that the handful of officers who make up the Royal Bahamas Police Force Community Relations Section are working hard — and successfully — to instill positive qualities in young people and help steer them away from illegal behaviour and violence.
“The small staff of five at Community Relations are really busy,” explains Inspector Sandra Miller, Officer in Charge of the section. “I have a really tight schedule. I have sometimes three to four presentations a day at various schools and even on weekends, evenings included, at churches and civic organizations and for the business community.”
Altogether, the members of this office gave more than 150 speeches and presentations last year alone, sometimes to as many as 300 people. The branch offers lectures on everything from crime prevention to domestic violence to employee theft prevention, and provides counsel to victims of violence and crime as part of its Victim Support Unit. In addition, it tackles crime before it starts—by lending guidance and support to troubled youth.
“There are so many issues dealing with parents and kids,” says Inspector Miller, who also provides parenting workshops. “Based on my experience, the lack of proper parenting and the lack of a proper moral compass in the home is what leads to a lot of juvenile crime in The Bahamas. The parents need to be educated on how to bring up their kids to respect authority and make a positive contribution to the country.”
Helping parents along is the Summer Youth Programme offered by the Community Relations Section, where as many as 3,000 teens on 18 campsites across New Providence and the Family Islands engage in fun and educational activities for four to six weeks each year.
“Based on the proliferation of violence in our communities, one of the most important things that the children experience at our camps is how to resolve conflicts before they escalate to violence. We also talk to them about the dangers of drug use and about sexual promiscuity and its consequences,” says Inspector Miller. “The programme is truly an inspiration to the kids, who prefer the camp to being idle at home or becoming involved in deviant behaviour. They can’t wait for next year.”
The continued success of the programme is a testament to this dedicated branch of the Police Force and its supporters, among which is Lyford Cay Foundation, Inc., which has provided funds for teaching supplies and sporting equipment in the past, and this year disbursed $10,000 toward food supplies for all of the campers. This was in keeping with the Foundation’s wish to help Bahamians meet their most basic needs, such as food and shelter, at this time of economic distress.
“This year, because we wanted to concentrate our efforts on making sure the participants had enough food, we asked the Police Force to focus our resources on the feeding of the children during the programme,” says Suzy Robinson, Chair of the Lyford Cay Foundation’s Gifts and Grants Committee.
The gift helped provide lunches such as sandwiches, hamburgers and hot dogs, and healthy snacks and drinks to energize the young campers as they engaged in a variety of academic activities, fun crafts and field trips. Making food available is especially important, as many of the teens who attend the camp are not able to bring their own.
“Lyford Cay has played a huge role in this year’s programme, due to the fact that it is so hard sometimes to ensure that the kids have something to eat. Most of their parents can’t afford to provide food for them,” Inspector Miller points out. “We want as many kids to keep busy during the summer months as possible, and not having to worry about providing lunch is enormously important in encouraging the kids to come out.”
The Summer Youth Programme had its humble beginnings in 1992, when police stations across the country started to establish athletic and social clubs for 11- to 16-year-olds.
Says Inspector Miller: “The objectives were to develop a closer relationship between the police and youngsters in the various communities, to help promote the educational advancement of club members, and provide a venue for social interaction, mutual helpfulness, mental and moral improvements, recreation and sports.”
Soon, the summer camp came about as a way to bring all club members together, and it now draws thousands of students from across the country who are exposed to many healthy activities and learning experiences.
“The programme does more than just keep kids busy with sports,” says Suzy Robinson. “They also do character building exercises. They talk about staying in school, about not joining gangs, about being polite and taking responsibility. While the fact that they keep children busy for a period of time over the summer is fabulous in and of itself, that added element of the learning experience was important to us too.”
No one agrees more than the students who return year after year for guidance.
“It keeps kids busy. For most of them, when school closes, that’s it, they have nothing to do at home. It keeps them out of trouble,” says 16-year-old Vestrinique Miller, who became involved in the programme several years ago and is now one of its counselors, facilitating sessions in math, English, sewing and needlework. Vestrinique attributes her own constructive traits to the fact that she has taken part in the youth programme each summer.
“The camp has impacted me a lot, made me become a better student in school through the different adventures we had,” she explains. “It geared me up a lot to work with others, to treat others with respect as I would like to be treated.”
For now, Vestrinique plans to apply to college to study business and finance. However, she looks forward to returning next summer to the very programme that motivated her to do her best, and hopes to continue to be a useful role model to its participants.
“I hope that the camp will teach kids to be more responsible when it comes to schoolwork and homework, that it will prepare them to understand the material better, and also teach them to be respectful to one another — peers, teachers and friends,” she says.
Vestrinique’s mother, Corporal Inez Miller, who has had ten years of experience as a facilitator of the largest campsite, in the South Eastern Division, says she hopes the teens will walk away from the experience caring for one another and understanding respect and loyalty. She has had ample opportunity to see firsthand how the programme can transform lives.
“We’ve had some badly behaved kids,” she says. “Parents come to us and ask for assistance. I especially keep my eyes on the troubled set. I pay attention to those who need that attention, and at the end of the summer camp, you see a big difference. Nobody wants to go. I can’t believe they were one of the bad kids that came — by the end they are my number one kids, you know? Anyone can change. Once we get help for them, they can be better in the future.”
The dedication that the officers in the Community Relations Section apply to their work and to their annual camp never wavers. They take all applicants and provide them with an entertaining, educational and enlightening experience, no matter what their background. As Inspector Sandra Miller points out, it is staggering to think how many teens may have met a police officer in a negative setting were it not for this programme.
“So many kids have passed through the camp and have returned as facilitators and even joined the ranks of the Royal Bahamas Police Force,” she says. “Looking back, what if they had never had someone to steer them right? They could have been in jail. But instead of in jail, they are in a position to give back something positive to their country.”
With its relentless schedule and ongoing support from partners like the Lyford Cay Foundation, the Community Relations Section of the RBPF continues to guide the future generation of The Bahamas in the right direction.
“The RBPF Summer Youth Programme has done wonders and continues to be a beacon of hope for many of our children,” says Inspector Miller. “On behalf of our Commissioner of Police, Mr. Reginald Ferguson, his Executive Management Team, the Community Officers and all the campers we say thanks to the Lyford Cay Foundation from the bottom of our hearts; the grant has truly gone a long way. This is what community partnership and crime prevention is all about.”
For additional information about the Royal Bahamas Police Force and the Summer Youth Programme, visit www.royalbahamaspolice.org.
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PHOTOS
1: The St John’s Native Baptist Cathedral Drum Core performs at the opening ceremony for this year’s Royal Bahamas Police Force Summer Youth Programme.
2: Commissioner of Police Mr. Reginald Ferguson, QPM (centre) and Miami Gardens Police Chief Matthew Boyd (far left, in brown trousers and white shirt) participate in the Royal Bahamas Police Force Summer Youth Programme march.
3: A member of the RBPF Eastern Division ‘Pacesetters’ team answers a question during a general knowledge quiz.
4: Campers from all divisions are pictured at the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium during the RBPF’s Summer Youth Programme track and field competition.
5: Campers compete for the basketball championship at the D. W. Davis Gymnasium.
6: The boys’ 4 x 400 meters relay at the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium.
Photos by Sgt. 1791 Dean, courtesy of the RBPF.
