By NICO SCAVELLA
KEITH Bell, State Minister of National Security, said that in view of the recent spate of murders, notably the shooting death of the prime minister’s Press Secretary Latore Mackey last week, the Ministry of National Security will become “very aggressive” in its fight against crime.
Speaking to The Tribune outside the Senate yesterday, Mr Bell said the government needs to “introduce some new things” and “review its initiatives” if it is to immediately and effectively combat the steadily rising surge of violent crimes in the country.
Mr Bell also confirmed that Prime Minister Perry Christie, with National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage and Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade, have conducted “some” of the “special meetings” that Mr Christie said last week would commence as the government goes back to the drawing board on crime.
“We are, of course, obviously concerned with the state of crime in the country,” Mr Bell said. “There’s always a concern. One murder is too many. The real thing is that the overall crime rate continues to decline, but people do not want to hear that, and we do not want to hear that the crime rate is declining when in fact when you look at the murder rate, the homicides, the shootings, we see that there are some increases and concerns. And even if there was no increase, the fact that we may have had a murder and you look at how these incidents are occurring, among our young people, then it is a cause for concern.
“So we’re looking at a paradigm shift. It means that we have to look at reviewing our initiatives. It means that we have to be very aggressive, and those are the kinds of things that you have to do continuously. It calls for continuous reviewing and adjusting because each time you have a case it affects both the victims and the accused person. Everybody loses in those types of incidents.”
Mr Mackey’s death pushed the murder count to 83 after police found the 37-year-old slumped over the wheel of his government vehicle with a gunshot wound in his neck. He had crashed into a utility pole after being shot and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Since then, police arrested four men in connection with the murder, and two, aged 18 and 22, were charged with murder, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and attempted armed robbery in a Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
Following Mr Mackey’s death, Prime Minister Perry Christie, who called Mr Mackey his “friend,” said last week that the government would hold several “special meetings” with the Commissioner of Police and National Security Minister to decide what can be done “immediately” to stop the escalating crime in the country.
Mr Christie said the government would be “challenged” to find a solution, but nonetheless his administration would be “relentless in its effort” to decrease crime before it becomes “uncontrollable.”
Mr Bell said he was “aware that some meetings took place” on a “number of issues, not necessarily just crime,” but said that he preferred “for the minister (Dr Bernard Nottage) to appropriately address those issues.” He said however that his primary concern is the “number of young men” that have become “killing machines” and dismissed the notion that crime would eventually become “uncontrollable.”
“I would submit that it (crime) is something that can be controlled,” he said. “It’s just something that requires constant attention. What I am (personally) concerned about is that a number of our young men who need guidance have come to the conclusion that they will be dead by the time they hit 25, and so a number of them have become killing machines. That is the challenge that we have to deal with, and it has been exacerbated by these young men who do not have male figures in their lives to guide them.”
Mr Bell also said he is a “strong supporter” of doling out capital punishment in the country, but as it stands the London-based Privy Council remains an obstacle.
His remarks were in support of Urban Renewal Co-chair Cynthia “Mother” Pratt’s assertions last week that the government should pass “draconian laws” in order to effectively combat the incidents of violent crime and murder that have been plaguing the nation.
“It is the most effective means of deterrence. For us in our society where we have persons who have come out on bail and committed another murder and another murder and so on, it means that, in my opinion, that the death penalty would be most effective. That’s the problem; it isn’t being carried out,” he said.
“I am a strong supporter of capital punishment, but as it stands we are prohibited to carry out capital punishment because of the rulings by the Privy Council,” he said. “We’re in a democratic society. Parliament makes the laws, the executive (branch) enforces the law, and the judiciary interprets the laws. We could make as much draconian laws as we want, if the judges feel – they’re the protectors of the Constitution – if they feel that the laws are draconian, that the laws (are) at the discretion of the courts, that the laws are in some way unconstitutional they will declare it null and void, and that is what has happened continuously.
“We have the option in the Bahamas of abolishing appeals to the privy council, so our court of appeal here would be the final court of appellate jurisdiction. Once we deal with it that way, it may be where you have more cases where the death penalty may be imposed.”
Nearly two weeks ago, six men were killed in less than 36 hours. Yesterday police also reported that an alleged attempted armed robber died in hospital hours when he was allegedly shot during an attempted robbery.
Comments
proudloudandfnm 9 years, 7 months ago
Is there anybody in this entire country that believes anything this moron says?
ThisIsOurs 9 years, 7 months ago
Birdie?
realfreethinker 9 years, 7 months ago
lol you are correct
proudloudandfnm 9 years, 7 months ago
As a matter of fact. What the hell are we paying this guy to do? Does he have any actual responsibilities?
Between Bell and Nottage one thing has been proven beyond doubt. Our national security can operate at a certain level with no leadership.....
Nottage can't stay awake long enough to do anything and Bell is just invisible..
PKMShack 9 years, 7 months ago
Bell sit your ass down, crime just started? you just see how serious it is? Oh it is now time to get serious, was it not time to get serious prior? You need to go just like the rest
B_I_D___ 9 years, 7 months ago
Apparently it was serious enough during the last election that the now government thought it was a major problem that needed serious attention and correction, serious enough that they plastered it all over billboards island wide...FAIL!!!!!!!
SP 9 years, 7 months ago
Question....If Keith Bell sit's down as you suggested, does his ass ring?
Honestman 9 years, 7 months ago
Bell says: "The real thing is that the overall crime rate continues to decline, but people do not want to hear that" What planet is this man living on? Does he realize how foolish he sounds?
The PLP has "gone back to the drawing Board" on crime according to the Prime Minister.This is another way of saying - those election promises we made that we had the solutions to crime in The Bahamas were untrue. We have no idea how to solve the crime problem.
SP 9 years, 7 months ago
"the Ministry of National Security will become “very aggressive” in its fight against crime."
Translation......The police will harass law abiding citizens at every point imaginable to give the "perception" that the jackass's are actually doing something.
Meanwhile illegal criminal Haitian migrants, idiots out on bail, known criminals and pirates in the halls of Parliament will continue to rape, murder and pillage the rest of us.
PKMShack 9 years, 7 months ago
@ SP does his ass ring? how will I know, that shit sounds gay to me. Sit down when I stated it means HE (Bell) is out of touch if he thinks its now time to get serious
SP 9 years, 7 months ago
O.K....But if Bell thinks its now time to get serious. What were they doing before? Just playing a "pretend" war on crime?
Ever heard a statistic or any mention whatsoever about crimes committed by Haitians? How about a word from government about Haitian sponsored human smuggling?
These stooges in Parliament are joking!
ChaosObserver 9 years, 7 months ago
Only after one of their own is killed do they start taking crime seriously? Hmmmm, well about time either way...
jt 9 years, 7 months ago
Blah blah paradigm shift blah. Until the education system is dragged out of the gutter and teenage Bahamians stop having litters of unwanted kids crime will do nothing but worsen.
John 9 years, 7 months ago
What happened to the "scared straight" program they introduced not to long ago. Will that work for gays as well? @ scared str8..lol
Cobalt 9 years, 7 months ago
Shouldn't Bell be in Grand Bahama at the homo festival with the rest of fags???
asiseeit 9 years, 7 months ago
The truth is they (politicians) have no clue what to do, they are just running around in circles. The other truth is that the politicians are the cause of the crime problem and here is why. They refuse to educate the Bahamian people so that they can fool them into voting for whoever. They are perceived by the vast majority of Bahamians to be criminals themselves so why not the people. They protect certain criminals therefore perpetuating the problem. They get in the police way and will not let the police do their job without meddling. They use citizenship as a vote buying scheme which has smothered this nation in people that should not be here in the first place. And the list goes on. Bahamians know what goes on even if they turn a blind eye, one day The Bahamian people will realize the only ones getting hurt by letting our Politicians do as they have is The Bahamian people. I hope the Politicians are ready for that day as it will not be in their favor. A very sad situation if I may say so myself.
themessenger 9 years, 7 months ago
Does "going back to the drawing board" mean putting up more murder statistic billboards in prominent places?Maybe they should put up some outside of PGC's, BJ's and Bell's houses. As long as these morons have been asleep at the wheel is anyone really surprised that the wheels have finally come off?
John 9 years, 7 months ago
They should have assigned a minister (of the gospel) to every government school to conduct prayer and deliver a short sermon on the first day of school.. at least we still have the right to pray in schools..May have been good to get some parents to attend as well.
asiseeit 9 years, 7 months ago
The church is a business in this country and has failed. Some slimey pastor/doctor/bishop yelling and screaming at the children will not help with our crime. Actually I would be afraid for the children as there are plenty of pedophiles in that bunch as well.
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