U.S. Embassy officials donated four new, custom-made sport utility vehicles (SUVs) to the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s (RBPF) Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) yesterday.
U.S. Chargé d’Affaires John Dinkelman, accompanied by senior U.S. Embassy officials, made a special visit to the police headquarters to participate in the formal handover ceremony.
The vehicles are valued at over $158,000.
Minister of National Security, Dr. Bernard Nottage; Minister of State for National Security Keith Bell, Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade and other senior RBPF officials were on hand for the ceremony.
This latest donation marks the continuation of a longstanding partnership in law enforcement and public security between the United States and The Bahamas.
The custom-made SUVs, valued at over $158,000, are part of ongoing, joint anti-crime fighting efforts.
The funding was made possible through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) to combat the drug trade and other transnational crimes that threaten regional security.
The vehicles will be used at Operation Bahamas Turks and Caicos (OPBAT) locations throughout The Bahamas with the goal of improving the RBPF’s ability to gather law enforcement information, conduct investigations, and interdict illicit trafficking through The Bahamas.
OPBAT is a multi-agency, international drug interdiction effort focused on stopping the flow of illegal drugs from South America and the Caribbean to The Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the United States.
