The Nassau Guardian front page, lead story of Saturday, February 9, 2008 suggests that Bishop Simeon Hall, the newly appointed Chairman of the Crime Council Advisory Committee, blasted both the PLP and FNM governments for “allowing the crime rate to increase so rapidly since the country gained its Independence in 1973”.

He is also quoted as saying that …”successive governments have done little more than just placate the face of the voting public until the next election”.

Well Rev Hall might be correct, because I know of instances where employers have been called by politicians asking that the company not press charges against an employee that had been caught stealing for example.

However, there have been numerous allegations of employers having received calls from ministers of religion with similar requests. In addition to this, I have had calls from reverends in my capacity as a manager asking us not to press charges or terminate employees for wrong doing. So we can’t simply lay the blame at the feet of our politicians, no matter how tempting that might be.

For far too long our society has ‘cloaked’ criminals or have been prepared to allow fellow employees to steal and get away with it, as some of us don’t want to be thought of as being a ‘pimp’.

We all play a part, and if we decide we will ‘pimp’ on wrong doers and the Police enforce what are perceived as petty laws (traffic violations, littering etc), I believe we will begin to see a turnaround.

One thing for sure. It can’t hurt.

What do you think?