Desiree Joseph

Thursday afternoon, representatives from the United States Embassy visited Grand Bahama (GB) to make a special presentation to the Police Marine Division.

Valued at $88,000 in total, the donation was three brand-new engines and two boats, one 38ft and the other was a 24ft vessel.

On hand to officially sign the papers of acceptance was Superintendent Melvin Lundy, who expressed sincere gratitude on behalf of the government and the entire Police Force.

"We are very grateful for this donation, on behalf of our Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade and our Assistant Commissioner Emrick Seymour we want to say thank you and we can ensure you that these gifts will be put to good use," he said.

Lundy explained that the boats and engines were needed, "extremely badly" because the ones that they had were a bit old and slow. They also weren't able to keep up with the demand, but with the new ones they are now able to move freely, faster and more efficient.

John Dinkleman, Chargé d'Affaires of the U.S. said the donation of the motors and the equipment to the police here in GB has given the police themselves the incentive to go out and do great things.

"I believe that because we saw the earnestness, sincerity and dedication of the officials here, the United States government said this is a good thing to support and I would say it is an honor to back the existing team efforts of both the people and the authorities on this beautiful island," he added.

When asked about the monetary value of the equipment, Dinkleman responded that, "the monetary value is very little compared to the value of the engines themselves as a sign of both the dedication and cooperation of the two governments, the people of our country and the efforts we are making together."

Inspector Officer In Charge of Marine Support Services of Grand Bahama and the Northern Bahamas Dole Burrows voiced his appreciation by saying, "It is a remarkable enhancement to our team and to the country as a whole."

He noted that the boat is a very good one and the change in the engines now puts them on the international market.

"We are going to be in line with international standards because these are the same type of engines that are used in the states and it gives us a clear advantage. They also give us more horsepower which increases our speed, our capability to get outbetter and much faster and it also helps us with our ability to respond to matters more quickly," he added.

In the marine support area having the right boats aids to the decrease in drug trafficking, poaching, illegal fishing, search and rescue matters and in Grand Bahama's case to the expedition movement of getting the dive teams to specific areas when needed.

Burrows also said that he and his team look forward to cooperating and collaborating with the United States and all other stakeholders in the marine support area in protecting our boarders.

The donation came as no surprise to the crew because the gesture was indicated some time ago however it had just come into the making. Lundy said, "We cherish the partnership with the U.S. because we work hand-in-hand together to combat crime and will continue to flourish such relationships with them."