More than 120 police officers are slated to hit the streets over the next few weeks, according to a top police officer.

According to Assistant Commissioner of Police Hulan Hanna, the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) is constantly changing tactics to deal with the vexing crime problem.

“The influence of change is in the law because of what the criminals are doing. [Because we are] a small police force, all of these things have gone into what is now evolving into impressive and dynamic training at the Police College,” ACP Hanna said.

On Monday 19 police corporal joined the ranks of sergeant after they participated a three-week promotion course at the Police College.

Mr. Hanna said the force is now keeping a special eye on all of its officers.

“We don’t expect that the sergeants will just go in and be the very best they can be. Yes, they may qualify for the promotion for the rank but now we have to go through some very fundamental things and we are not going to lose contact with these people but we are going to keep in contact with their commanders and their commanders must indicate to us whether or not what we did in the last three weeks is working,” he said.

Mr. Hanna told reporters Monday that Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade has been looking to break the mould ever since he introduced his policing plan earlier this year.

The plan listed six, in-depth priorities to tackle crime, improve community safety, promote positive youth engagement, enforce the rules of the road, protect the country’s borders and professionalise the service.

“When the commissioner introduced the plan he did not say we are not going to look at these again,” he said.

“The whole mandate was to look at this from time to time. We just look at tweaking many things. It could be as simple as talking to a particular commander and challenging that commander to demonstrate that he is using his resources and that his motivation is there. It’s a very dynamic document and it is a live document that the commissioner visits on a very frequent basis.”

Mr. Hanna revealed that all commanders have to produce a productivity report, which follows the lead of the policing plan.

“That productivity report is not written in an abstract matter,” he said. “He must be able to say [what they are doing] within the five priorities the commissioner set out. He has to demonstrate that back to the commissioner of police.

The ACP said the force continues to encourage residents to work with the police.

“We always say to residents to help us to keep the temperature of what is happening out there. I do not know what a man does to his estranged wife. But someone in the community might have heard them argue or screaming – could that be the gateway into something else? Someone knows about what these boys are on the corner doing. If you see things like this, send that information out,” Mr. Hanna said.