Dr Bernard Nottage
By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
NATIONAL Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage yesterday skirted around questions regarding the government’s failure to control the scourge of crime in the country as it had heavily campaigned to do during the 2012 general election.
More than two years since taking office, Dr Nottage told Parliamentarians – moments before they adjourned until the New Year – that the crime situation was the result of a flawed judicial system.
He said the government would direct its focus on tackling those challenges with the system in order to bring crime to a reasonable level.
Later, during an interview with reporters when the House session ended, Dr Nottage insisted that he would never be satisfied until the government successfully obliterated the scourge of criminal activity.
He said: “Governments don’t fail on promises to control crime. Crime is ever with us, but you know various strategies, sometimes they produce the results that you anticipate (and) sometimes they don’t.
“The nature of crime changes. I don’t know any country where there is no crime or any country where everything goes perfectly.
“For all of the crime that is going on in the Bahamas there are men and women who know who are doing it and men and women who are providing protection for people who are doing it and hiding those who are in fact the culprits.
“We have problems with the justice system that we will have to work through to bring crime to a reasonable level. What I am saying is we can stop it tomorrow if all of us in our respective places co-operate with law intelligence,” Dr Nottage said during the House session.
He urged people who know of criminal activity and where criminals might be hiding to assist police.
This comes following the murder of two brothers and the attempted murder of their teenage brother, which is the result of an ongoing feud stemming from their father’s murder in 2010, revealed Chief Superintendent Paul Rolle on Tuesday.
Chief Supt Rolle said the murders of Jaquan Anthony Rolle, 18, Jermaine Rolle Jr, 31, and the attempted murder of Anthon Rolle, 14, were not random shootings, but “targeted hits” as a result of an “ongoing feud” from Jermaine Rolle Sr’s death in 2010.
The country’s murder count for the year is 116, according to The Tribune’s records, three short of 2013’s total.
Comments
jlcandu 9 years, 4 months ago
Yeah, excuses, excuses and more excuses. Fix the problems and stop making excuses.
TruthHurts 9 years, 4 months ago
Here here! Always passing the buck! If throwing blame is all these MP's think to do when commenting on current issues; they should just shut the hell up! Bahamians find you all quite annoying. Start bringing us SOLUTIONS, PLANS & STRATEGIES! HOW ABOUT DOING YOUR JOBS FOR ONCE!
stillwaters 9 years, 4 months ago
Noooooooo! The courts were backed up for far more years. The courts being backed up is what takes the fear out of the criminals. Nottage.......go resign please!!!!!!
GrassRoot 9 years, 4 months ago
Tis is not a chicken egg situation.First the crime happens. The problem is the lack in implementing the Rule of Law in the Bahamas. And THAT is the job of the government. If you let the numbers boys thieves get away with breaking the law, why should the average citizen not breaking the law?
AJK 9 years, 4 months ago
Thats the truth!! If a country turns a blind eye to the numbers boys, the police that are all in the numbers shops playing, corruption from politicians, campain fraud and on and on and on how could you possibly expect the population to not commit crime. Maybe it is time to bring in an independent policing agency to investigate police, polititian and the choosen few for criminal activity to set an example to all that crime will not be tolerated from anyone.
ThisIsOurs 9 years, 4 months ago
Root of the problem is rampant corruption among the colleagues of BJ "It's not my fault" Nottage. That's where the drug trade got its foothold and blossomed and flourished into so many other criminal activities. When he looks that in the mirror and he asks, "why am I minister of national security but neither Keith Bell nor I have a clue what we're doing", he will have the answer to crime.
gkeato 9 years, 4 months ago
How pathetic are these politicians, what a disgraceful embarrassment to any country. They have collectively ruined this country that was on the way back from a disgraceful era of drug ruination.
These people were taught how to steal and be corrupt as politicians by some of the best in the game, unfortunately the teachers are still in the room. They may all go to hell.
TalkinSense 9 years, 4 months ago
You'll remember THIS?
http://thetribune.media.clients.ellin...">Who's smiling now that they're in charge? by TalkinSense
Hey BJ, can you tell us what number that sign will read in 2017?
TruthHurts 9 years, 4 months ago
Cute!
John 9 years, 4 months ago
The Chicago Police Department is claiming that serious crime, including MURDER, is at its lowest rate since the 1970,s. But the average citizen in Chicago is not buying the story. They believe that the police department has "COOKED" the books! Too many residents in Chicago know of their own experiences with crime or that of family members, neighbors or loved ones. Many know personally of persons including family members and entire families who have been murdered. They are not buying the police numbers and many believe the statistics have been cooked and covered with Bar B Que sauce!
ThisIsOurs 9 years, 4 months ago
And I believe you, I will start holding my breath now.
ThisIsOurs 9 years, 4 months ago
I am sure he is an excellent doctor, father etc, but he is a horrible political leader. In almost every communication he makes, he blames someone else for a problem under the umbrella of HIS ministry. This is the same man who ~seconds after he was appointed to office, cut the judiciary off at the knees and elevated the criminals. He went all the way to Fox Hill to entertain "I'm innocent" criminals to tell them their sentences were too long and he would look at reducing them. This is the SAME man. Now he talks about a problem with the judiciary? And even more unbelievable and unthinkable, he's still in the position today. He sits beside Shane Gibson in the House. He sits beside PGC who hasn't breathed a word about the 650 MILLION LOI affair. I'd take a guess that that's more money than a drug dealer makes in a year. He wonders why crime is out of control?
Well_mudda_take_sic 9 years, 4 months ago
Christie has told Nottage, Davis, Maynard-Gibson, Wilchcombe, Greenslade and others to stick it to Sir Pomposity when it comes to who should be held responsible for the ever increasing level of crime in our society! In fact, it is now widely known Christie has told his unleashed slayers of Sir Pomposity that they need not worry about being held in contempt of court for their attacks on the leadership of our court system. Wow!
duppyVAT 9 years, 4 months ago
By Mr. Pomposity do you mean Chief Justice (ex-FNM Senator/candidate) Sir Michael Barnett????? That's the problem with our system ............ there is NO true independence within the three branch Westminster system ........... the PM controls ALL three branches. Its a glorified dictatorship ................................ whether we want to admit it or not
SP 9 years, 3 months ago
........................ Stop Standing Around Talking Shyt And Solve The Problem ............................
Serious crime in Trinidad and Tobago cut by half in five years
http://securejam.mediaspanonline.com/...">http://securejam.mediaspanonline.com/...
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID