NASSAU| Former National Security Minister Marvin Dames tried to conceal the contents of a damning report, which concluded that the murder of Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) Marine Percival Perpall was “avoidable” and was the result of “widespread” security breaches at Government House.
Perpall was shot and killed while on duty at Government House on Sunday, April 28, 2019.
The Enquiry Committee led by retired Police Commissioner Reginald Ferguson determined “the shooting was avoidable if proper policies accompanied by efficient and effective operational practices were adhered to on the estate.”
“The incident which occurred between the hours of 2:25am and 2:28am was achievable due to the many security breaches that existed due to neglect and proper training of those providing security for the property.”
According to the report, “The perpetrator was well aware of the many loopholes in the security system and protocols which meant that accessing and carrying out his mission to kill Petty Officer Perpall was easily accomplished.”
The Enquiry Committee found that there were widespread breaches at Government House as there were no available Standing Orders for the 10 acre estate or for any other outposts that the Defence Force was responsible for protecting.
According to the committee, “Even more disturbing was the fact that many of the Marines interviewed shared that they had never seen Standing Orders for the property despite having requested the same.”
“To add further injury, the Standing Orders were incomplete, outdated and needing amending.”
The report also uncovered a “severe breakdown in the supervision, management and leadership of personnel at Government House and other outposts.”
“It was uncovered that Senior Commanders were delegating, without authorization, their responsibilities as Guard Commanders to Junior Marines. Such delegations were inclusive of the issuance and handling of firearms and ammunition.”
Additionally, Marines were not inspected by the Guard Commanders in order to determine their alertness for posting.
When pressed by the media on the status of the Government House report, Dames kept promising to release it to the public soon. That never happened. Now we know why. The report is an indictment of the RBDF and would be grounds for a lawsuit by Perpall’s family.
