A scandalous voice note making its rounds on social media is fueling serious concerns about the procedures followed during police arrests and investigations.

Reportedly, the voice of an ex-police officer, who identified himself as Bernard Swann, in the voice note spoke to fixed police reports, without proper investigations.

Holding nothing back, Mr. Swann further charged that the Royal Bahamas Police Force conducts no proper investigation and that officers only beat people and lie to send persons to jail.

The issue was brought to the attention of National Security Minister Marvin Dames yesterday, who in turn brushed off the claims as nonsense that does not warrant attention.

“Investigations are driven evidence.  If someone it arrested and charged, it’s laid before the courts that evidence is produced,” Mr. Dames said.

“It goes before the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of Public Prosecution because there is a process. 

“His comments are totally out of place because he cannot be speaking for the agency that has been in place well over a century.”    

The idea, he said that there is a culture of falsifying evidence in police investigations is ridiculous and advised that Police Commissioner Anthony Ferguson and his team will investigate the matter.

“I have heard the voice note and I’m sure members of the public heard it also and I intend to dispatch a team to conduct an investigation into it,” Mr. Ferguson said. 

“I would be interested to know what it is that he really is saying to see if there is any validity to it.”   

In a statement, human rights group Rights Bahamas said it was appalled by the shocking revelation, agreeing that the incident be investigated vigorously and comprehensively even if this means bringing in foreign investigators.

The statement added that every case, Mr. Swann would have investigated must be reinvestigated. 

However, according to Minister Dames, Mr. Swann was not an investigator.

“He cannot be speaking for the Royal Bahamas Police Force, not the force I know and not the force that many distinguished men and women would have passed through,” Mr. Dames said. 

“He may have been speaking for himself, but as I have said before there is no record that this guy was any kind of investigator of any sort. 

“So we have to be careful sometimes of these pronouncements and voice notes on social media.” 

Still, Rights Bahamas said it is ready to represent any victim of this alleged abuse.