By SANCHESKA BROWN
Tribune Staff Reporter
sbrown@tribunemedia.net
THE Bahamas Christian Council yesterday called for bail to be immediately revoked for persons who are out on bail for murder and other serious crimes.
At a press conference, Christian Council President Ranford Patterson branded the rate of crime in the Bahamas in the past several weeks “unacceptable”.
He said a possible solution to the crime problem would be to revamp the bail act and stop allowing people with serious offences ‘a second and third opportunity’ to offend again.
“We have asked over and repeatedly for this bail thing to be reconsidered. We have met with the Attorney General. We have met with powers that be and one of the things we always put forward is the need for the bail act to be reformed, persons should not be allowed to get bail if they are up for murder.
“We have said it, we have asked for it, if a person is arrested for heinous crimes, they are not to be given bail. How can you be on bail for three murders? It just doesn’t make sense,” he said.
“Any serious crime that affects the community, I believe bail should not be considered because too many persons on bail are committing crimes, they have nothing to lose.
“If I have done three murders already, what do I have to lose to do another one?
“If persons are on bail for murder we ought to call them in and if it means we must speed up their cases we must speed up their cases.”
Rev Patterson said he also supports a “three strike” system in the Bahamas, where a person would automatically face life in prison if they commit a crime three times.
The council’s vice president, Bishop Victor Cooper, is also encouraging members of the public to form watch groups and to assist police in the fight against crime.
He said: “We support the initiatives that are being undertaken by the government and I think we want to encourage more crime watch groups in the various communities because when people take ownership of their community they are better able to police it.
“I think we make the mistake of thinking that the police can be everywhere at all times and in doing that we relieve ourselves of the responsibility of taking care of what we are supposed to be taking care of.
“It’s important now as we go forward that we see more parental involvement, where parents must know where their children are.
“They must put curfews on their children and not wait until after the fact to talk about how good their children are, they must account for them, especially those of school age.”
The council supports whatever initiative is taken by the government to fight crime, including the new 12-hour shifts for police officers.
However, Rev Patterson is calling on the police not to be “selective” in the laws they enforce - to enforce all of the laws of the Bahamas.
He said no one agency can save the Bahamas, it is the responsibility of the government, the opposition, the church, civil society, business and the community.
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