by Jerome Pinder
In an article in today's Tribune "Police warning for Public frustrated with armed robberies," Assistant Commissioner of Police Hulan Hanna warns the Public of taking matters into their own hands. If this is all he has to say on the matter, then he should have kept quiet.
What are business people left to do? We have a group of bandits terrorizing this town, holding guns to the heads of innocent people threatening their very lives, and all he can do is issue a warning to the innocent public. The top brass of the Police Force should be breaking down the walls of Cabinet demanding the Government put resources in place to back up their efforts on the street. In addition, the Police Force should be pushing for Business Owners to have licensed fire arms at their premises to protect themselves, even if it involves annual training and certification.
Does anybody realize the state of the Justice system in this country? We have had 79 murders so far for the year. I do not classify the recent shooting as murder, this was actually justice served right on the spot. How many cases of murder have been tried and prosecuted so far for the year? Maybe 5 to 10. What about the other 69/70? When will they come to trial? This delay will result in more persons out on bail. When will we ever catch up on these cases? Now consider the hundreds of armed robberies, when will all these cases be tried?? With all due respect to the visually impaired, a blind person could see that the system is broken.
Despite the above we have a Government clueless about fixing the problem. The current administration has done nothing in 2+ years to improve the system. And now, we have a top law enforcement officer giving a warning to the public. Well what does he want us to do? Sit by and be slaughtered.
Quit frankly, Mr. Ferguson should be hailed as a hero for taking one thug off the street. Every business owner should have the right to shoot an armed robber on their premises, without fear of prosecution.
I pray these comments by Hulan Hanna are not an indication of things to come with the changing of the guard at the Royal Bahamas Police Force. The criminals should be running from us, not us from them. Hulan Hanna should concentrate on warning the criminals, not the innocent public.
I have practically given up on the PM and his Cabinet. Do we have to throw the Police Force in their as well?
I to was shocked at his comments Jerome, shocked.If anything, he should have said that the shop owner did what he had to to protect himself & everyone else in the place.What in the world did he want, another dead businessman, is that what he wanted ?These thugs kill first & then take the money, surely he being a police officer knows that.My God, this is why we are in this condition.With police thinking like this, in times like this,it can only get worse.Please, please, please, get the hand gun licenses in place ASAP.
Perhaps he does not know the difference between self defence and vigilantism?
For a senior officer to suggest that we should just lie back and be killed is ludicrous but perfectly in step with current thinking, or more correctly, lack of thinking.
The gun issue is an aside, or should be, to the main debate, which is this:
If forced to defend my life, in fearing for my life, can I use whatever means are at hand to do so with?
A rock, stick, bottle, knife, can of beans or a gun?
The police are supposed to be a first responder, but, are often the last to arrive, so, it would seem to me that an instant responder, that is, a citizen would do better to prevent crime than the police.
But, our society is trained to look away, talk in whispers, decry from afar.
We all know what is going on, but we are, for the most part, cowards.
Of course, citizens must aquaint themselves with the law first, something else that we do not do.
Why should we? no one else pays attention to the laws!
This is, incedentally why the politicians get away with so much foolishness, but, one can only enforce laws that exist, and that they are aware of.
There are provisions for citizens arrest, and even the appointment of District Constables.
But again, upstanding, ethical citizens are needed, citizens who will stick their necks out to protect their neighbour, a stranger, and thereby themselves.
Our legal and authorative structures have been replaced by personal allegiances and compromise.
We do not need reform of the law, we need reform of behaviour and a return to the rule of law.
“policy” is destroying us.
Maybe we should start writing their speeches for them?
I think that would be OK for Hanna, as long as he still gets to be on TV !
I am 100% with you Jerome.
If the police cannot or will not protect us then we have to do it ourselves.I have personally filed two police reports which turned out to be a waste of time.
I am reminded of the case within the past year of a woman living in the East who was about to open her door and some thug grabbed her. Fortunately she had a pepper spray, which she used effectively. Her husband pulled up and applied some justice of his own, then held him until the police arrived.
When they arrived their first comment was to the lady “Do you realize that we can arrest you for having that pepper spray.”
The husband retorted “I suggest you take this creature and get off my property before I lose my temper.”
For most of us, our patience has long been exhausted
There is merit found in the slogan that: ‘When guns are outlawed -or made too burdensome to lawfully possess- only outlaws will have guns’. The consequences are all too real today; criminals have weapons and most of us have only the telephone to call the police.
Remember where our legal system originated, i.e., monarchical, medieval Europe. All men save ‘nobles’ or soldiers on active duty, were forbidden to have a sword for fear they might have the means to rebel and overthrow the political establishment of the time.
The sword was the maximum close-up weapon of that day; its modern equivalent is the pistol.
Switzerland seems to have long ago overcome this, still prevalent elsewhere, statist phobia of self-defence by the common man.
Every Swiss man of military service age is required by law to always have some serious military weapons and ammunition stored at home, ready to be used against an invading force. Switzerland might literally be described as a heavily armed camp. Yet, in contrast to America, where virtually all persons without a criminal record can be armed, Switzerland has, relatively speaking, a very, very low crime rate.
These differential crime rates are a matter of a society’s level of civilisation, culture and morality. Perhaps all of this this speaks volumes about our country, which once was quite a peaceful place. One wonders: Have our culture and morality been eroded by negative foreign cultural influences, such as violence expressed in hip-hop, rap, worship of a quick illegal dollar and the like?
You decide.
I think the police & the politicians have completely gone off their rockers.This is outrageous.What in the hell is wrong with these people ? I also think the lights are on & no one is at home, they don’t have both oars in the water, their elevator does not go all the way to the top.What is stopping them from “seeing” the light ? There has to be something wrong with their heads.Hanna should be forced off the force immediately.I have had enough of this crap.What world are they living in pray tell.The only conclusion I can come to is that they must be under a spell or something.I really do not think we are capable of policing ourselves, that is for sure.There is still a small glimmer of hope, but the light is dimming fast.Wake up people, wake up.
I don’t think we are capable of self governance.
The National track record is pretty dismal.
Policing is a part of the same structure of society.
I have sent a dozen cases of theft to the courts, perpetrators handed over to the police, but the only conviction was due to a confession!!
To ask me to put my safety and that of my family in the hands of others, no matter who they are, is not a decision taken lightly.
But, let’s not let facts get in the way of our current dilemma, how do we fix it?
A rose by any other name…….
is still a rose.
Same for crime, corruption, sloth, averice……
Jerome and others you are all right. If you do a survey on all of the security companies in the Bahamas you will find that the majority of them are owned or operated by either senior police officer or retired senior police. So it is a conspiracy to keep the business owners and the public afraid and helpless, so therefore people would pay any amount of money for protection. And further more we do not need any new policy to be implemented reference to hand gun licence. There is a few big time businessman who has licence for hand gun or conceal weapon permit. There is also hundreds of ex police officers who has their owned business or assisting or employed who has adequite firearm / special training , who had applied for hand gun but was unsuccessful. I really think that Acting Commissioner Greenslade would turn this country in the right direction to same us, as long as the politicians don`t tie his hands or use him as their pupet where only the poor criminals go to court and jail and the rich and famous go scott free. I would be one of the first person to try and get and ordeince with the Acting COP. Wish him good luck.