The Tribune

CRIME is down, murders are up, therefore it should not be said that the PLP’s crime “policies have fallen short and that the sole basis upon which (the government’s) efforts should be measured is the murder rate”.

This was the brilliant logic with which National Security State Minister Keith Bell insulted the Senate on Wednesday.

Murder — the worst possible crime — is separated from the overall crime sheet in a category of its own to make the government look good as they smirk from their ivory towers on those who cringe in fear from the crime for which the PLP claimed — if elected in 2012 — they had the solution. Too many Bahamians fell for the bait and voted them into power. As crime escalates, these government members are running around like scared ferrets looking for an excuse, and playing with crime statistics. They would get more respect from the public if they would stop their posturing, admit they had no plan, and put as much effort into finding a solution as they put into their fairy tales.

“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,” said Senator Bell.

Where is this man coming from? He makes Bahamians sound as though they are some kind of freaks, who contrary to humanity, have unusual feelings when it comes to murder. To understand the horror with which every human reacts to murder, just turn on your TV and watch the drama now being played out in Charleston, South Carolina, in the wake of the killing of nine people as they knelt in prayer in the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church last week.

“Under the former administration,” said Senator Bell, “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.”

This is not true. Crimes against the person, which includes murder, has increased. It was claimed, but later denied, that child abuse — again a crime against the person — had increased by 22 per cent.

“The ministry wishes to advise the public that child abuse statistics are not static; they fluctuate depending on any number of things. Indeed, the number of child abuse cases reported to the Department of Social Services in 2011 and 2012 were 636 and 663 respectively, which are higher than the reported 597 cases in 2014…Sadly,” said Social Services, “the level of child abuse in our country remains unacceptable.”

According to Attorney General Allyson Maynard Gibson, the murder rate rose under the FNM government.

“Sixty-one in 2007, 73 in 2008, 85 in 2009, 94 in 2010 and 127 in 2012. 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 clean up job our government must now take.”

Really! Times are now too serious for these politicians to continue their political ping-pong game. If Mrs Maynard-Gibson wants a true picture of the growth of crime in this country, we invite her to The Tribune where she can follow the paper trail that will take her right back to the days of Sir Lynden’s PLP and the drug peddling barons. That, my lady, is where it all started. So let’s stop playing with the past and concentrate on the present and the problems that this country now faces.

It was the PLP in 2012 that made murder the criteria of success or failure of a government. And it was Deputy Prime Minister “Brave” Davis who supported the PLP’s move to erect billboards in critical tourist areas to inform Bahamians and visitors that we indeed live in a crime-ridden country (see photo on page nine). When there was public objection, fearing that such blatant propaganda would destroy tourism, Mr Davis defended the PLP’s position. At the time, he was obviously thinking only of winning an election — the country be damned.

When Bahamians started to take down the murder billboards, Mr Davis called them “FNM goon” squads and accused then Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham of being a dictator, desperate for power and intent on concealing the truth. If Mr Davis had taken time to look in the mirror he might have seen who best fitted his description.

“I do not know why they would take down the signs with the murder count on them. That’s a fact,” he declared.

If it was a fact then, it is still a fact today. And the fact is that crime — with murder heading the list — is escalating.

At least Prime Minister Christie, who realised what a scalding potato he held in his hand, had the grace to admit that it was probably “unwise” for him to have blamed the FNM for this country’s crime problem when he was in Opposition.

But, unfortunately, intent on finding someone to blame, he then turned his attention to the police, who were doing the best job that they could with their hands tied behind their backs.

“But, I’ll tell you this,” said Mr Christie, “I really hope that the Commissioner of Police and his colleagues come to understand that the political directorate has a stake in what is taking place. That, just as I blamed the FNM and maybe unwisely, but as I blamed them, I take it that I have an obligation to the Bahamian people to provide a solution (to crime) because I advocated it.”

If the politicians would stop being politicians and sit down and objectively analyse the situation they would soon discover that many of those being murdered wear ankle bracelets. And many of them have themselves been out on bail awaiting their day in court to face a charge of murder.

It is obvious that Bahamians have lost confidence in their judicial system and are administering their own form of justice on the streets.

How often has Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade complained that as often as the police take an accused person to the Bar of Justice, they find them back on the streets where the chase starts all over again to pick them up for a new offence, often for another murder. The Commissioner has often complained of our “revolving door” system of justice.

It is now time for politicians to stop playing politics and get down to the serious business of governing this country.