Sidney Sweeting, DDS
The recent beating of a woman who was conducting a segway tour on Prince George dock was very disturbing and has a lot of Bahamians wondering what kind of people are being recruited to "serve and protect us." It has been reported that police officials will immediately start an investigation into the matter. I hope that the Press will follow this all the way through and that the punishment of those policemen involved in this dastardly act will be appropriately punished and not just demoted or transferred to another department.
A couple of weeks ago I was approached by a gentleman who requested my permission to sell phone cards in front of my office, off the street. I was happy to do so and gave him written permission to present with his appication for a permit. He was told by a food vendor, who also sells phone cards in another areea, that she did not want him in front of my office - informed him that she had a friend who is an inspector on the force and she would see that he was removed. Two days later two inpectors did show up and asked him to move. Just a coincidence, of course. I have followed through with this because I saw it as a clear case of harassment.
I called the department that issues the phone card permits and was told by the inspector that they did not want too many in one area and I informed him that there was no one else on Collins Avenue selling cards, he is off the street and is quiet and unobstrusive. We are hoping that he will have his permit by Monday.
I feel that the most disturbing part of this issue is that with the country being ravaged with crime two senior police officers could find the time to harrass a phone card seller whose permit is ready and will be colleected as soon as the business licence receipt is presented. All this while, we have learned, most sellers on the streets do not have a permit.
