NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC – The US-based National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) began its second international training summit here with a senior Bahamas government minister stating that the future of policing must be brighter, more strategic, more connected, and must prioritize the human element.
The event, themed “Global Policing in Uncertain Times: Adapting, Collaborating, Protecting,” brings together law enforcement leaders from the United States, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Africa.
The three-day event will feature various expert-led panels on diversity and inclusion in policing, as well as leadership training.
Education Minister Glenys Hanna Martin, addressing the conference on behalf of Prime Minister Phillip Davis, who is attending a conference in Africa, said that she has seen the aftermath of crime every single day, not just in crime statistics but in the faces of children who have lost fathers, uncles, brothers, sometimes all three, to gun violence.
She said that these children carry trauma so deep that they sit in silence, lash out in rage, or disappear altogether “into a world that pulls them in faster than we can pull them out.
“In one school I visited, a principal told me she had kids who had lost multiple family members to gun violence. Five. Some were killed in front of their homes. One was gunned down inside the house. Imagine what that does to a child.
“And then I ask myself — and I ask all of us: who do they turn to? Where is their safety net? Because in far too many of our communities, a dangerous alternative is already waiting. Gangs. Predators. Men with empty promises and loaded weapons who offer them power, protection, and a false sense of belonging.”
The Education Minister told the conference that any talk about crime must be honest since “we are fighting for our children. We are fighting for their minds before someone else claims them”.
She said that this is why she does not believe public safety is the sole responsibility of the police. “It is the responsibility of all of us. Every minister. Every teacher. Every parent. Every leader.
But make no mistake, law enforcement remains the frontline. When a gun goes off in Bain Town, Fox Hill, or Englerston, it’s not a philosopher or a social worker who responds. It is you.
“And for that reason, you deserve more than our thanks. You deserve our partnership. You deserve the resources, the training, and the policies that enable you to succeed in this fight, not just to arrest but to prevent. Not just to patrol, but to protect and build.”
Hanna Martin said that the training summit underscores the fact that no one person or institution can deal with crime alone, emphasizing the importance of listening to one another, learning from one another, and standing together.
“Whether you wear the badge in Atlanta, Montego Bay, or Nassau, the forces working against us are increasingly sophisticated. Transnational trafficking. Cybercrime. Weapon smuggling. Recruitment of children into violent extremism. So, our response must be equally strong and coordinated.
The Education Minister said that she recalls hearing the stories of a young boy, no older than 11, whose older brother was killed, his mother had already buried two sons, and that this child, they said, didn’t cry, didn’t speak., just sat still.
“We fail him if we only respond with statements of sympathy. We fail him if our only answer is more arrests. We fail him if we do not build a society where violence is not the only power that some children ever witness.”
She said that this is why there is a need for partnerships with the police that go beyond patrols.
“We need community officers walking school campuses, not to intimidate, but to mentor. To form relationships. To serve as a counterweight to gang recruiters. Because we are aware of what’s happening, recruiters are showing up at school gates. They are watching who’s alone. Who’s angry? Who’s hungry? Who can be bought?
“We cannot be naïve. We have to fight back, not just with handcuffs, but with hope,” she said, adding, “As a woman in government, I know the barriers we face.
“But I also know the strength we bring. And I believe the presence of women in policing, at every level, is a quiet revolution. One that changes not just outcomes but approaches.
You bring empathy to challenging moments. You de-escalate when others may confront you. And you know what it means to protect not just the body but the heart.”
She said to all the women, “I see you. I honor your courage. And I ask that you keep blazing trails, not for yourselves, but for the next generation of girls watching.
“So here is what I leave with you. Let’s move from discussing violence to preventing it.
Let’s move from admiring leadership to cultivating it. Let’s move from reacting to recruiting — to pulling in our best and brightest to serve,” she said, adding, “The future of policing must be smarter, more strategic, more connected, but above all, it must be human.”
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