By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
STATE Minister for National Security Keith Bell and Attorney General Allyson Maynard Gibson championed the Christie administration’s efforts to fight crime yesterday even as the murder rate for 2015 outpaced last year’s figures.
Three years after the PLP erected billboards island-wide highlighting the rise of murders under the former Ingraham administration, Mr Bell suggested that homicides should not be the sole indicator of how bad the crime situation is.
Both he and Mrs Maynard-Gibson stressed that other serious crimes are trending downward across major categories.
However, according to The Tribune’s records, the murder count this year is 16 per cent higher compared to the same period last year. Up to press time, police had recorded 73 homicides, compared to 63 at this time in 2014.
“Each year (under the former administration) was a record year (of rises in the murder rate),” Mrs Maynard Gibson said in the Senate.
“Sixty-one in 2007, 73 in 2008, 85 in 2009, 94 in 2010 and 127 in 2011. It is important that we ask our colleagues to acknowledge their government’s role in implementing and overseeing the policies that put us in this position in the first place. It is hard to imagine the former government to now critique the cleanup job our government must now take.”
She added that as part of the government’s Swift Justice initiative, her office has greatly increased the
number of cases heard before the courts and has also increased the conviction rate in such cases.
During his Senate contribution, Mr Bell seemed to criticise those who insist that the government’s “policies have fallen short and that the sole basis upon which (its) effort should be measured is the murder rate.”
He added: “Fundamentally, the reason why the murder rate is held in such a sacrosanct position in the eyes of Bahamians is because each murder represents a family’s suffering and a community’s loss.”
“The crime statistics also clearly show that in almost every other crime category, we are stronger and that our policies are producing dividends,” he added. “Where then do we go from here? We must be strong in the face of this challenge and unrelenting in our efforts to take our country back.
“Under the former administration, every year they recorded record increases in crime. When we came to office, the overall crimes against the person, against the property decreased by some four per cent, last year it was some 18 per cent and this current figure, overall crime, is decreasing by six per cent.”
“Never mind the noise in the market, police officers you have a record to be proud of. In 2014, not only did overall crimes decline by some 18 per cent, but due directly to your efforts, 400 illegal guns were taken off the streets along with 7,545 illegal rounds of ammunition – do you know how many lives were saved by your efforts?”
National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage has come under fire from the Official Opposition for not addressing the country on crime and related policies during the Budget debate in the House of Assembly.
Comments
EnoughIsEnough 8 years, 10 months ago
I think we can all acknowledge that crime is a reflection on a society. The police cannot single handedly combat crime - their must be community support and accountability. However, I think the reason the PLP are getting slammed is because they ran a campaign with crime as a fundamental issue. The plastered posters all over downtown Nassau - in the public/tourist eye - highlighting the number of murders under the FNM. And blamed them thoroughly. Now the situation continues to worsen - the PLP has zero handle on the level of murders. Someone suggested there may be a vigilante out there - killing the men who are released on bail. I don't have a problem with that. But the PLP must acknowledge that the crime is not purely a responsibility of one party. That is where they ultimately messed up, in my humble opinion.
asiseeit 8 years, 10 months ago
What is good for the goose is good for the gander! The PLP judged the FNM and blamed the FNM for the crime stats during their term, now that the PLP is in office they do not want the same treatment. What assholes! You ran you entire campaign on crime and you told us you had ALL the answers, and now that you have been proven to be full of nanny, you want to say don't judge us? I am sorry but you made your bed, now you must sleep in it!
John 8 years, 10 months ago
If there was a man out there "killing men who are released on bail', there is a problem with this. One why should this man have powers that put him above the law and makes him more powerful than any one else. the authority to take many lives. Two, if this "vigilante" actions were effective, the murder rate would be decreasing and not increasing.
TalRussell 8 years, 10 months ago
National Security's Comrade Keith couldn't possibly be firing up on the same fear cylinders as the natives. Isn't this one of the PLP Cabinet Ministers who has publicly acknowledged that he packs fire power heat for his own personal protection? Is he now feeling safer enough means he's going to surrender his pistol to da Commish all da policeman's? You couldn't possibly makes this stuff up. If Keith is in fact among PLP Cabinet Ministers packing heat, I challenge him to call a press conference within next 72-hours to surrenders he concealed gun power cuz him no need no gun no more? Protection needed from what?
Honestman 8 years, 10 months ago
Meanwhile the country's "Commander In Chief" has nothing to say to the Nation. This from a man who never uses five words when he can use ten!
John 8 years, 10 months ago
While Da Bell admits that murder this year is up 16% over last year, da Bell fails to tell you that based on a projection of 140-148 murders this year, the murder rate will be up FORTY PERCENT this year over the year the PLP came to office! Every time this man tries to mid sterile statistics with politics he makes himself out to be a blundering idiot! Just a few weeks ago headlines in this same newspaper indicated that child abuse was up 25% and recent headlines confirm that there is a current increase in armed robberies. So whatever statistical decline there may be in crime it is not enough to reduce the fear of crime and the concerns for crime among the average citizen. Three years after being in government da Bell is still trying to blame the former administration. Yet new government policies are making it near impossible for a young man to find employment and an average working man to survive. Yet you hear about all the corruption and t'iefin going on in government.
John 8 years, 10 months ago
*should read "every time this man tries to mix sterile statistics with politics"
Zakary 8 years, 10 months ago
So whatever statistical decline there may be in crime it is not enough to reduce the fear of crime and the concerns for crime among the average citizen.
Statistical information is highly interpretive, and it is always nice to see the numbers upfront and in full, but guess what, you would have a hard time finding any public statistical crime information pass 2013. There is practically nothing on the internet. To quote the https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentRep...">OSAC crime and safety report;
The Bahamian government has not made public comprehensive, updated national crime statistics since July 2013.
duppyVAT 8 years, 10 months ago
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
asiseeit 8 years, 10 months ago
The other thing this man fails to admit is the PLP changed how crime is reported and therefore how that affects the crime stat's. Not all Bahamians can be hoodwinked, some of us pay attention.
Sickened 8 years, 10 months ago
Mr. Bell you certainly do astonish me with your comments. How can you say what you say with a straight face? How can you face your family and friends? I don't know you personally, and based on what nonsense you are spouting, I don't ever want to.
banker 8 years, 10 months ago
We live in the end times ... not so much as the "Look busy, Jesus is coming", rapture end times, but rather in the end times of the Bahamas as a decent country. Corruption galore, Flowers now not a criminal, Attorney General squashes Auditor General's finding of corruption, murders almost every day, anchor project stalled, PLP lies without problem, anybody will say anything, all public figures have lost their moral and ethical compass, hypocrisy reigns supreme ... it's all gotta end in a bad way. We are on the way to becoming Haiti version 2.0 -- the English speaking one.
by banker
duppyVAT 8 years, 10 months ago
Who da man is????????? Das Ping, Hubbigitty and Brave obeah man hey??
TalRussell 8 years, 10 months ago
Banker you're Comrade Grandpappy's is looking all decked-out imperial.
pablojay 8 years, 10 months ago
I have said it before and i will say it again ,something must be wrong with Keith Bell ! He does not want his government to be judged on the murder count, but THREE YEARS HE WANTED THE WORLD TO JUDGE THE BAHAMAS ON ITS MURDER COUNT !
Zakary 8 years, 10 months ago
“Sixty-one in 2007, 73 in 2008, 85 in 2009, 94 in 2010 and 127 in 2011. It is important that we ask our colleagues to acknowledge their government’s role in implementing and overseeing the policies that put us in this position in the first place. It is hard to imagine the former government to now critique the cleanup job our government must now take.”
It always disturbs me when they play around with numbers like this. Unless the printed article made a mistake, doesn't the attorney general mean to say 78 in 2007 not 61? But watch how they subtly play politics, she continues to insinuate that the crime problem is a result of the previous government, when it has nothing to do with government at all. I guess they've made their political beds, have to lie on it, and carry it the next day.
http://www.royalbahamaspolice.org/abo...">
https://i.imgur.com/JSwnnLE.png?1" title="Homicides in the Bahamas" />
Source: http://www.royalbahamaspolice.org/abo...">The Royal Bahamas Police Force
Sickened 8 years, 10 months ago
I see the problem; your source is all wrong. Please ask Brave Davis what the actual numbers were... he never lies.
TruthHurts 8 years, 10 months ago
LMAO
John 8 years, 10 months ago
Not even adding the unclassified deaths, the rate of homicides will apparently triple in 10 years. (from 52 in 2005 to 150, give or take, this year) Something that should concern every single person in this country. And this is in no way to suggest that this is a PLP or political problem. Just recently, after nine persons were slaughtered during a church prayer meeting President Obama stated that the number of killings in the United States of America, was too much for a modern, civil society. Some church leaders are preaching that things will not get better but progressively worse. As long as more murderers remain out of jail and not prosecuted, then the killings will continue.
TalRussell 8 years, 10 months ago
Good for concerned citizens, residents, guests and tourists now be reassured by Minister Keith that policeman's responses crimes in progress or discovered when calling da police/medical emergency 911 and 919 numbers, are now going be answered and promptlhy responded to? That they will no longer have drive or make their way to the nearest police station to report such crimes? That police will actually have access to working vehicles with gas in them to respond to the scenes of crimes. That the home/business owner will no longer have to volunteer to come pick up the policeman's to bring them back with them to their home or business? I only wish i was making this up. Why don't I believe a word of the minister?
John 8 years, 10 months ago
To take da Bell's argument a bit further: that 25% of the murders each year, at least in the past six years or so, are of persons on bail for murder or some serious crime. So are you Keith 'da Bell, sir that you cannot find enough correlation between these 25-40 murders each year to determine who is committing them?
Chucky 8 years, 10 months ago
Folks , if we can just step back and imagine the following:
Just imagine if Government's intentions were just to tax farm the people, fill their own bank accounts, and steal all they can for themselves. Next just imagine if Government was only interested in giving back enough education to keep you just smart enough to do "worker ant jobs", and only give back enough health care to "keep you healthy enough" to do those worker ant jobs. Next just imagine if government's intentions were to provide just enough policing to keep the masses in check and under control. Next just imagine that all the talk from Government officials is just a dog and pony show, they pretend to be "trying to improve the country", they talk enough to "project the idea of hope for the people", the "ideal of opportunity for the people", imagine that all the talk is just a part of the job of keeping the illusion alive. Next, just imagine, a Government made of up people so smart, that they can pull off the biggest scams, so arrogant that, they can stand proud while they lie bare faced about the odd and rare scam that gets exposed. So arrogant that they are fearless when presenting non sensical explanations of the exposed scams. Lastly, just imagine a Government who displays all those characteristics, who has created and sustained as system that makes anyone who makes it to office , or anyone who is on the friend list, a bloody fortune. A system so well oiled and efficient that even the smartest of people can't seem to expose it for what it is in any detail.
Now realize that the same government with those "imagined" qualities, will actually use the idea of "incompetence" as a shield and an explanation for the "failures" when in reality the failures are a necessity in freeing up money to steal. Imagination is a great thing, but there is no way that a government as imagined could ever exist. is there? The problem is, that this is the reality of all governments. This is the reality we face. So we can all continue with our comments about whats going on, we can continue to believe the illusions presented by these thieving scumbags. Or we can acknowledge its a scam, acknowledge that your only chance for success comes from within yourself and family unit. And lastly, we can all acknowledge how little government actually accomplishes, and how we should strive to get them out of our lives. Failing to acknowledge what they really are, is to be a fool, a surf, and their accomplice!
Zakary 8 years, 10 months ago
So we can all continue with our comments about whats going on, we can continue to believe the illusions presented by these thieving scumbags. Or we can acknowledge its a scam, acknowledge that your only chance for success comes from within yourself and family unit. And lastly, we can all acknowledge how little government actually accomplishes, and how we should strive to get them out of our lives.
I agree with your sentiments here. In retrospect, the tribune comments are in essence - useless, but I suspect that all who comment have some underlying hope that in some way they could effect change.
In a country with conditions such as ours, it is wiser to forget what the government is doing and chart your own course. The greater population doesn't care anyway.
John 8 years, 10 months ago
This is not imagination this is the one world (new world order) that is prophesied in the bible. In order to work efficiently the middle class must be eliminated. Then there will just be the elite and the worker (ants). But since there are too many (workers) one third of these along with the middle class will have to be eliminated. So why not turn them against each other and let them canabalise? The strong will survive. But they didn't factor in the coming of Christ in the equation. One percent of the population of this earth controls 50 percent of the wealth. Something must be wrong with that.
Chucky 8 years, 10 months ago
Hey John It's a shame that you have to throw the religion into the the mix, as clearly there is no god.
The god that people talk about is another man made dogma; works well to control the masses. Use you imagination and you might think you know someone who is a believer, or claims to be religious (likely millions). But they don't believe,clearly, one can't really be a believer and religious, and own possessions, join in the endless pursuits for money and stuff, drink, sex up every woman they can etc etc etc. The religious, they all purport to be "fine upstanding people", yet they chase money like any whore? Does "god" tell them too? Does god also "need money", cause all these criminal scam churches sure seem to be very interested in collecting money.
The biggest problem with believers in these religions is that they believe, and they believe justice will be forthcoming, that there is an after life blah blah blah.
Let me tell you this, there is no proof for any of that garbage. What we do here and now, we need to take responsibility for it. There is no other life and there is no justice coming. There will be no return of anyone to set this world right.
Either people face up and take responsibility for there own actions, and also take on the bad actions of others, lest we be guilty accomplices via complacency, and this world will fail.
The religious dogmas are man made / created & designed to do just as they are, that is, to have common folk believe there is another life after, and that they should leave justice to a god. With that thinking people stay calm, leave matters alone, don't take on life's big challenges etc etc etc
They elite folk who acknowledge and purport to be religious, well they just talk the talk, just as these politicians talk about the nation. The elite feel throwing in their "endorsements of religion" lends sufficient credibility to the masses.
Sorry to say, but that's the real truth! You can either stand up, or keep believing a "man in the sky will solve the worlds problems".
Which do you think will have a greater effect?
Lastly, ask yourself this, if people really believed, really thought it was true; why would the vast majority of countries be worrying about things like climate change? You do note that all the UN members talk about solutions. Funny they don't just leave it to their gods? What about health care & decease, why don't all the "worlds religious" leave it in gods hands, clearly if you believe, you must believe he wants those sick people back.
The truth is and always has been right before your eyes, it's the biggest scam going.
Sickened 8 years, 10 months ago
Like our great Ronnie Butler says... "everybody wan' go to heaven but nobody wan' dead."
Chucky 8 years, 10 months ago
Hey John It's a shame that you have to throw the religion into the the mix, as clearly there is no god.
The god that people talk about is another man made dogma; works well to control the masses. Use you imagination and you might think you know someone who is a believer, or claims to be religious (likely millions). But they don't believe,clearly, one can't really be a believer and religious, and own possessions, join in the endless pursuits for money and stuff, drink, sex up every woman they can etc etc etc. The religious, they all purport to be "fine upstanding people", yet they chase money like any whore? Does "god" tell them too? Does god also "need money", cause all these criminal scam churches sure seem to be very interested in collecting money.
The biggest problem with believers in these religions is that they believe, and they believe justice will be forthcoming, that there is an after life blah blah blah.
Let me tell you this, there is no proof for any of that garbage.
What we do here and now, we need to take responsibility for it. There is no other life and there is no justice coming. There will be no return of anyone to set this world right.
Either people face up and take responsibility for there own actions, and also take on the bad actions of others, lest we be guilty accomplices via complacency, and this world will fail.
The religious dogmas are man made / created & designed to do just as they are, that is, to have common folk believe there is another life after, and that they should leave justice to a god. With that thinking people stay calm, leave matters alone, don't take on life's big challenges etc etc etc
They elite folk who acknowledge and purport to be religious, well they just talk the talk, just as these politicians talk about the nation. The elite feel throwing in their "endorsements of religion" lends sufficient credibility to the masses.
Sorry to say, but that's the real truth!
You can either stand up, or keep believing a "man in the sky will solve the worlds problems".
Which do you think will have a greater effect?
Lastly, ask yourself this, if people really believed, really thought it was true; why would the vast majority of countries be worrying about things like climate change? You do note that all the UN members talk about solutions. Funny they don't just leave it to their gods?
What about health care & decease, why don't all the "worlds religious" leave it in gods hands, clearly if you believe, you must believe he wants those sick people back.
The truth is and always has been right before your eyes, it's the biggest scam going.
Well_mudda_take_sic 8 years, 10 months ago
I thought B. J. Nottage not too long ago emphatically stated on the floor of the House of Assembly that the murder rate for 2015 to date was much less than it was in 2011. Didn't Keith Bell get Nottage's memo of talking points on this most important matter?! My oh my what a tangled mess we weave when we set out to deceive!!
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