By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor
nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
A two-time Bahamas Real Estate Association (BREA) president has warned that Nassau is now “a cowboy town”, with crime - and the fear of crime - leaving the Bahamas in a “precarious position”.
Patrick Strachan, head of Pat Strachan Realty, told Tribune Business that the Bahamas was at an economic and social “crossroads”, and warned that it would “go straight to hell” unless the nation’s leader stepped up.
Speaking after the recent wave of multiple murders in consecutive days, Mr Strachan said the combination of high crime levels, illegal immigration, traffic and other woes had left Nassau in a “terrible” state.
“New Providence has become like a cowboy town,” he told Tribune Business, “but not only from crime, but the fear of crime.
“I think it’s having a negative impact. Persons who maybe want to reinvest in their business, expand, they’re uncertain as to what’s going to happen tomorrow, and there’s challenges with the court system.
“The police make an arrest today, and tomorrow the same individual is out on bail. The police are out there doing their job, but there are challenges with the court system.”
Mr Strachan’s views echo the concerns frequently expressed by Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade over the ‘revolving door’ justice system, where persons accused of serious, violent offences are rapidly let back out on to the streets.
And they also provide an insight into the minds of businessmen, who are reluctant to invest in job-creating expansion due to concerns over the prevailing business and economic climate - of which crime is a major factor.
The high, and increasing crime levels, not only pose a reputational risk for the tourism industry and rising costs for businesses and all Bahamians, but a direct threat to this nation’s way of life.
“Our country right now is in a precarious position,” warned Mr Strachan. “We’re at a crossroads and have so many challenges.
“Leaders need to step up to the plate. If not, we’re going to go straight to hell. We don’t have any place to go. If we sit back and let this place go to hell, that can’t be right.”
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