Jerome Pinder
It appears The Tribune's Cover page has become nothing more than a daily crime report and a sad reflection on the state of our Country.
The Tribune on Monday November 16th had the following headlines:
"Prison Officer Dies in Shooting"
"Man Killed by Gunman in Home Invasion"
"Detective Shot Approaching Suspect"
"Police Search for Gunman and Accomplice"
"Three in Hospital after Weekend Armed Robberies"
"Four Arrests after Guns and Ammunition are Seized"
The Tribune on Tuesday November 17th had the following headlines:
"Worker Murdered at Church Building Site"
"Boy Stabbed During School Argument"
"Man to be Extradited over Smuggling Charges"
"Man Found Guilty of Unnatural Intercourse with Boy, 16"
What a report card on a Country and the Government. Clearly the Government has no plan to address crime, there has been no improvement in the Judicial System, and after the PM's remarks at the FNM Convention it appears that the Government will not move forward with Capital Punishment.
The Minister of National Security has gone quiet on Capital Punishment, the signing of death warrants, and any further meetings of the Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy.
I agree with the PLP Chairman on one thing, the Minister of National Security should resign. Any other ineffective and under-performing Minister would have been axed by the PM long ago.
How long before we have a Travel Advisory issued with regards to The Bahamas?
It ain't long now!!!
I have been a long time supporter of the PM, however, I cannot tell you how disappointed I am in his attitude about this entire crime situation.Not only his, all of parliament. I am at the point of not voting anymore.They all seem to be so useless.The so called minister of national security is a joke.When there is a murder in a family Island & the police do not get there until very late in the afternoon, he claims there is no police plane. Is that because he is using it to fly all over the place for himself ?I just don’t know what we are going to do,they all really don’t seem to care, from A to Z.
He who hath eyes & ears… let them see & hear!
Pinder I agree with you. We live in a country where Tourism accounts for more than 60% of our GDP. Probably close to half of the entire labour force in the Bahamas is employed directly or indirectly in the tourism industry. Hello…??? Earth to the Government…. Sun, Sand & Sea is NOT going to be enough to offset the apparent tidal wave of crime that will drown this little Nation.
This cannot continue as is and we not expect dire consequences in the near future.
Again Pinder you’re right… “it ain’t long now !”
We’re in the bowl and the water is starting to swirl! Hopefully, this can be “fixed” if we can start to deal with it Now! C’mon Govt. before it’s too late… for mercy sake “Grow a Pair” and get on with it or get out!
20 Tourists off a cruise ship visiting the BASH facility in Chippingham were robbed at gunpoint today!!!!!! They were American, British & Canadian tourists, I believe.
How long before the cruise ships start to skip Nassau in favour of a safer port?? How long before travel agents all over start to blacklist the Bahamas?? Travel advisories – bad press – travel warnings.
By now there are probably 3000+ tourists from all over the world sitting around a cruise ship hearing about this atrocity.
Where is our Minister of National Security?? Wake up man, WAKE UP!
Sorry AGR, he is in “Hibernation”, along with the rest of the jokers in parliament.What will it take to wake them up ? Only God knows.I don’t think a travel waring will even wake these fools up.They are not serious about dealing with crime. What are they waiting on, an election so they can say, we are going to do this & we are going to do that ? Either they are completely incompetent, or they just don’t give a damn, that is a plain as the nose on your face.
I remain convinced that if we are not all charged with the minor stuff, the big stuff will never go away.
There is a certain psychological awareness that develops when police charge us all with minor things. We start to beleive that police are every where.
What do you think?
I do agree with that.Zero tolerance should be exactly that, zero tolerance.If we do not charge the person throwing paper out of the car, then they start to believe they can get away with anything.At the very least, start to enforce these things.I think we have lost respect for the police, I know I have.If there are some good ones left, they don’t seem to be shinning through.All I here from them is talk, of which I am sick of.Stop telling me & show me, show me that you are serious about dealing with this problem.Stop all the photo ops & get on with it, please !
We have become unlawfull by increment, by steadily ignoring the laws, bit by bit.
Imunity has been taken by some, granted to others, eroding respect of the law AND those who should enforce them.
To reclaim the rule of law requires a lot of ruffled feathers, across the spectrum of Bahamian society.
If not applied uniformly, no respect will be established.
And God help us if one of their buddies feathers get ruffled.Even murder is no problem for them to cover up, in my opinion, even murder.Can you imagine that, murder !What would they do if it was their mother,sister,brother,father ? It goes right back to what Rick said about the little things, eventually even murder is no problem to brush under the rug.
Listen … I hear yall complaints .. but can someone provide one or maybe two solutions for readers like me to sink my teeth into …
The question is what or who can stop crime? regardless of the cause …..? please rational thoughts … !!
What are your solutions Hanna?
I just gave mine.
As I have said before, the police need a strong chief along with a strong minister, who are prepared to get on with it & stop dragging their feet.Again, I feel the police are incapable because they have not shown us anything different.All they seem to do is go on TV & hype themselves up.I think, just like Rick said, start by doing the small things, the rest will fall into place.We have to start somewhere, why not by doing just that.I don’t think fifty police at the Montague ramp every three months is helping.Also, they need backing by the courts, get some strong judges & please do something about this being on bail for murder thing.
Oh & yes Hanna, what are your solutions ?
Typically , as research in criminal justice has shown that, for what ever the reasons persuant to the delay in court proceedings, convictions,sentencing – the existence thereto tends to create a bottle neck in the prosecution of newly arraigned suspects/defendants in the court system … this is what we are seeing with regard to the back log of cases in the court system.
So if there is a delay in the prosecution of existing persons within the system – you can find a delay in the apprehension of new suspects for crimes committed – especially for violations thats considered petit or misdemeanor in nature – here is where i agree with Rick that greater arrests for minor offense may curail the mind from contemplating a higher degree offense – say from victimless crimes to violent.
The few who choose to reject the norm must suffer the consequense of violating another persons right to true liberty –
So I propose that the police and its special forces conduct a weed and seed program that sweeps through every communty and island – identifying all who are known criminals and arrest them – not allowing them to leave until they provide names and descripting of persons commiting crimes …..
The internal affairs dept needs to be revamped with the ability to go undercover to help identify bad cops.
The construction of a new corrections facility to house convicted persons of simple / petit / misdemeanor crimes / victimless crimes – that demand sentencing less than a year ….. outfitted with its own magistrates under proven court adminstrative procedures ( they may need to research best practices – world wide for improved measures)
Create a new special unit with in the Defense force charged with the effort of prividing police services to the lesser inhabited island – such as the South Bahamas with a base(s) on ground … it will them be possible to transfer RBPF officers to higher density islands where man power is lacking….
An accepted ratio /formula, conducive to the annual tourist visit count, inclusive to the registered population of each respective island should be established to attain efficiency in policing and adequately responding to the needs, service and protection of all on each respective island.
Transfer a reasonable percentage of trained offficers conducting administrative work back to the beat ….. wherein making available some of the admisnistrative tasks specialized and available for civilians after careful training and certification.
More to come!