The Tribune

AT LAST, government has awakened from its Rip van Winklian sleep to sound the alarm that there is indeed a crime problem that threatens this country’s future as a tourist resort.

If they had stopped playing with crime figures, talking nonsense about Urban Renewal 2.0 – all the time keeping their eye on the 2017 election – we might have been further ahead in community unity to fight this scourge that is going to sound the death knell for our economy.

Even the Commissioner of Police, who has been pushed into following the political agenda, vented his frustrations last month when he said his force seemed to be running a catch and release programme where violent criminals are put back on the street soon after they have been arrested.

“If we arrest John Brown we do not wish to see him walking the streets of our communities a few short weeks or months after a serious charge,” said the Commissioner as he pleaded with the courts to wake up to the realities of crime. “If you would like to help us solve crime, let us keep the people we brought to the halls of justice for very serious crimes. Let us keep them in a place where they can no longer hurt our people and give them their fair day before the law,” the commissioner pleaded.

The FNM government took the first step to tie the hand of magistrates who could no longer grant bail to anyone on a gun charge. The accused now has to go to the Supreme Court for that.

However, when our reporters are at crime scenes, more often than not they find that either the victim or the perpetrator is wearing an ankle bracelet. This means he is out of prison under the watchful eye of the police – which he often eludes – and is either being chased by a gang that he has crossed or has a score of his own to settle and is either killed or himself has killed another in settling a vendetta. And if he has not as yet graduated to the ankle bracelet — which many today wear as a badge of honour — he is “well known”, some “very well known to the police”. If the prison is overcrowded, then some place has to be found for these offenders — many for their own protection, but most for the protection of society. Somehow they have to be keep off the streets until their day in court.

The police were slowly winning the confidence of the public when the PLP government came on the scene and in an attempt to show that they could keep their ridiculous promise of snapping the back of crime – “from day one” some said – their henchmen started to fiddle the crime figures. This has caused untold loss of confidence in the police, as often the police themselves had to announce those figures.

For example, they were able to reduce the figures for the high volume of shootings, which happened almost nightly — The Tribune usually got a call as midnight neared — by creating a new category. The category of “causing harm”, however, was not included in the official crime statistics. No wonder crime was down. As the figures fell — by not being included — so did the public’s confidence in their police force.

When a person sets out on a nefarious mission with a gun in his pocket, his intent is to kill if the situation gets too hot. He is not out just to cause harm. As Dr Duane Sands has pointed out, the only reason that this country’s murder figures are not higher is thanks to the skill of our doctors, and the poor marksmanship of the criminals.

Crime figures can never be accurate because many crimes, or threats of crimes, are not reported. For example, The Tribune never heard about the family recently threatened by gunmen at the traffic light at Marathon. The light changed just in time for them to get away. Apparently they saw a car behind them with four men. Suddenly, the men pulled masks over their faces and pointed guns at them. The light changed, and the family fled.

And flashed around the world yesterday was news that it is not even safe to go to church in the Bahamas any more. Walking to the Catholic cathedral for the 11 o’clock mass on Sunday morning, the US Embassy’s 74-year-old vice consul was “accosted, robbed and injured”. As a result, no visas were processed for Bahamians on Monday. The section reopened today and it is hoped that the consul will be restored to full health.

Now shocked into action, the politicians want the community to unite — so does everybody else. However, this will not happen unless politics is left behind. Someone should quickly educate Keith Bell, Junior Minister for National Security, as to how to “take politics out of the equation”. According to Mr Bell, “it really is the politicians who determine what legal framework would be created to address crime and other social ills”.

“The truth,” said Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe, “is Bahamians have to step up – all Bahamians, the church, the state, ordinary citizens, all Bahamians have to cry shame at what is going on. Let’s begin to speak out and call for change.”

Police Commissioner Greenslade has said that the country cannot continue as it is going today. He reminded the public that everyone has a responsibility to assist the police in their work.

Unity is what is needed at this hour of desperation. There is no time for political finger-pointing to find a scapegoat for our present social chaos. It is society’s fault — we are all to blame, either by sins of commission or omission. And it will take all of us to help to restore health to our nation.

This is too important to let petty politicians get in the way.