By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
CLEOLA Hamilton, South Beach MP, yesterday called for standardisation of violent crime statistics following mass confusion over disparities between Princess Margaret Hospital and Royal Bahamas Police Force records.
Speaking to reporters during a press conference, Ms Hamilton, a former nurse, suggested that there should be a set of criteria across the board as to give the general public a true picture of gender-based violence.
Ms Hamilton’s comments came after she, and four other women PLP representatives, gathered at Parliament to express strong support for the government’s efforts in combatting violence against women.
“I think,” she said, “that there should be standardisation in the classification. Standardisation, the same thing that happens on the police force, happens at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) so that you can get a general overview. So that when the time comes for the statistics to come out then we have the true picture of what is happening. But it should be standardised.”
As questions continue to rise over the integrity of police statistics when compared to those of the hospital, Keith Bell, State Minister for National Security, refused to comment to The Tribune, which asked for clarification into the matter after yesterday’s Cabinet meeting. Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade has not responded to several Tribune request last week for an interview.
Last week The Tribune revealed that, according to PMH statistics, there were 147 rapes, considerably more than data released by the police. In January, the police said there were 104 cases for the year 2013. The Princess Margaret Hospital figures did not include cases that might have gone to Doctors Hospital or the Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport.
Additionally 519 people were shot and stabbed according to PMH’s records, yet the police recorded only 10 attempted murders.
Against that backdrop, Social Services Minister Melanie Griffin said she doubts statistics compiled by both institutions will ever agree.
“In my mind,” she said, “I do not believe that the statistics between the hospital and the police will ever be equal because there are so many different variables as to what is seen in the hospital.
“The police does the classification as to what is what and the hospital may see the case or the situation. But the police has to do the investigation and they make the classification. So therein will probably lie the difference in what is seen in the hospital and what the stats are.”
FNM Deputy leader Loretta Butler-Turner has called for the government to be more forthcoming with Bahamians, especially women on the frequency of violent crimes against them.
Comments
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 2 months ago
Aaaah...so the hospital will be forced to doctor their numbers
"In my mind,” she said, “I do not believe that the statistics between the hospital and the police will ever be equal because there are so many different variables as to what is seen in the hospital.*
Warped mind. How were they ever put forward to represent anybody? Reconciliation is a common task. And if you can't reconcile the number of gunshot victims to attempted murder charges something is SERIOUSLY wrong with the justice system. With the system as it stands today, each of these incidents HAVE to be reported to the police as a matter of protocol. Why can't the police say for example "we had 519 gunshot cases reported from PMH, 100 of them were accidental, 75 were classified as murders, 10 were classified as attempted murders 334 remain to be classified". How hard is that?
VS 10 years, 2 months ago
Pun intended!
VS 10 years, 2 months ago
If a person is stabbed or shot, there really should be two types of classifications: Whether or not the person was stabbed or shot due to a victim defending himself (i.e., in a robbery) OR if the person was stabbed or shot INTENTIONALLY and with malice. There's no way to circumvent the true nature of a crime.
thomas 10 years, 2 months ago
If one shows up at the hospital with a gunshot wound reporting it as a crime should not be an option for the victim.
jlcandu 10 years, 2 months ago
Apostle,
I quote you "Folks for the police they cannot report that, because it is essentially not a crime." I don't agree with you. If someone was stabbed, it is a crime. Period. Just because the victim does not register a former complaint does not negate that the crime occurred. Instead of classifying the crime as "attempted murder", I would surmise the police would classify the crime as causing harm. If someone is murdered, the victim obviously cannot report the crime because she or he is DEAD. It still is a crime!!!
I think there is a serious problem with how crime is being reported and we as the public need to insist on accountability. If the hospital is reporting all of these incidents, then the police are not being honest with the public. If the hospital is not passing on the paperwork to the police, then they need to own up on what the problem is.
A crime is a crime is a crime. Whether a victim decides to drop the charges doesn't mean a crime was not committed.
DaGoobs 10 years, 2 months ago
@Jlcandu - Sorry, I disagree with you. The way that the legal system works is that a crime is technically only a crime if there is a formal complaint made to the police. The police only investigate complaints made to them. In certain cases, a law might stipulate that it is a crime not to report a particular matter to the police. However part of the disparity between the PMH stats and the police stats might arise because the victim first seeks medical treatment but fails or refuses to make a formal complaint to the police instead of the other way around of complaining to the police first and then being taken to the hospital for medical treatment. I've known of situations where a person's premises was broken into but they did not report it to the police or the police never came. Yes, that person was the victim of a crime but not a reported crime, which is what the argument between the COP and Dr. Sands is really all about.
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