Dr Bernard Nottage
By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
NATIONAL Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage says he has no reason to doubt the veracity of the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s crime statistics.
Speaking with The Tribune yesterday, Dr Nottage said that the RBPF’s statistics released to the public in January were the result of matters handled by the police.
He was speaking in response to the startling differences – published by this newspaper yesterday – between Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) data and RBPF statistics. Two categories showed clear disparities. They were rapes and the combined numbers of stabbings and shootings compared to the police’s murder records.
In PMH’s rape category there were 147 cases while the police said there were 104. As it concerns attempted murder, authorities said there were only 10, far less than the 519 cases of shootings and stabbings that physicians at PMH took care of.
Dr Nottage said: “I don’t know that PMH has started releasing stats, are they in competition or something. I don’t know what the PMH figures relate to.
“I know that the police figures are respective of matters that the police has dealt with. So I have no reason to dispute the police figures. When I get an opportunity to get an understanding of the Princess Margaret Hospital figures I would be prepared to comment, but at this time I don’t have it.
“We have to actually read what the figures relate to. A lot of times they’re different things.”
On Wednesday both FNM Deputy leader Loretta Butler-Turner and the party’s deputy Chairman Dr Duane Sands spoke out about the differing numbers.
Dr Sands said: “There seems to be a significant difference between the numbers we presented at the hospital and the numbers reported by the government or the police force,” Dr Sands said.
“Now, somebody ought to explain that. Why is it that we have 278 shootings recorded in the records of the Princess Margaret Hospital, not inclusive of Doctors Hospital, not inclusive of the Rand Hospital, yet the police can only account for 170-odd shooting incidents?”
Mrs Butler-Turner further questioned whether officials are not being forthcoming about the statistics.
“Clearly there is a huge discrepancy with what the police are publishing. I don’t want to come out and say they are fudging the stats, but the actuality is that the police are not being up front with the public on crime,” she said.
Comments
proudloudandfnm 10 years, 2 months ago
Dr Nottage said: “I don’t know that PMH has started releasing stats, are they in competition or something. I don’t know what the PMH figures relate to.
This is an incredibly evasive and demeaning comment. It shows that BJ has something to hide.....
thomas 10 years, 2 months ago
This medical doctor and now minister of Nat'l security does not know that incidents of gunshot wounds and stabbings attended to at the hospital should be reported to the police. Just dumbfounding!
sheeprunner12 10 years, 2 months ago
BJ is a political animal......................... no doctor in dat. lol
Unfortunately, the veil will soon be lifted on this crime stats conspiracy and BJ will need a gynnie himself
These PLPs have no shame!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 2 months ago
This is such a dumb statement. Is he a cussing Dr Gomez of manufacturing data? What sense does that make, what would the hospital have to gain? Not even going into the fact that the doctors have an obligation to report all crimes to the police. Stupidity.
carlh57 10 years, 2 months ago
If true to form, govt will delay, deny, and then attempt to discredit and then ultimately distract the public.....same old same old stuff.....eventually these politicians will grow up...at least that's our hope, right?
TheMadHatter 10 years, 2 months ago
Not that two wrongs make a right - but could someone hurry up and compare the two sets of statistics for, say, the year 2011 or 2010.
Were there no huge disparities when Hubiggity was in power?
It would be interesting to know. I have no preference for either party - but it just would be amazing to find that the PHM and police figures matched for those two years and that these great differences have only just started.
TheMadHatter
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