Are we doing enough to fight crime?
thenassauguardian editorial
Last Saturday’s triple homicide off Carmichael Road has shocked many Bahamians and residents of New Providence already reeling from a rising murder count that is certain to far outpace last year’s record of 94.
In what marked the 83rd, 84th and 85th murders for the year, two women, one of whom was pregnant, and a man were gunned down in an apartment on Montgomery Avenue early Saturday morning.
Police are investigating the possibility that the murders are connected to a double homicide that took place several weeks ago, not far from the site of the triple murder.
Police believe that many of the recent murders are connected and that generally speaking random killings are rare. This is the line that has often been used by senior officials trying to calm the fears of New Providence residents.
The murder rate for a country the size of The Bahamas has reached a crisis point. It is unacceptable.
By the end of July last year the murder count was at 54. This year that number had jumped by 31 by the end of July. Last month a recorded-breaking 20 murders were recorded.
Our average so far for the year is 12 murders per month. On that pace we could surpass the 94 mark before this month is up. It could also mean that we could record more than 140 murders this year.
We know that this point is not lost on police and government officials who have invested efforts and resources in the crime fight. And who obviously want to see crime brought under control.
The Gun Court has been an important step in the right direction and has so far been productive in helping to deal with our significant case backlog. There has also been a significant investment to increase resources for our police officers. And steps have been taken to improve the physical infrastructure of the judiciary.
But have those efforts and resources been enough? Obviously not.
More needs to be done to bring down crime in the country.
We acknowledge that the onus is not just on the government or police to come up with solutions, the community must also do its part.
However, the commissioner of police and minister of national security have been given as a part of their mandate the management and prevention of crime to the highest extent possible.
It is a difficult task, but we must do better than we are doing now.
The crime phenomenon is not unique to The Bahamas, the Caribbean or anywhere else.
We need to look at how other developed countries are approaching their fight against the scourge of crime and violence.
Jamaica, which has had one of the highest murder rates in the world, has seen a significant drop in its murder count this year after a gang crackdown, according to officials.
Based on what is often said by our local police and government officials, it would seem that a similar approach could prove successful here.
It may also be time to look at how existing youth, community and rehabilitation programs can be improved.
Perhaps it is time to consider — as some cities in the U.S. have done — the appointment of a crime prevention coordinator who works closely with the commissioner of police and Ministry of National Security to help implement crime prevention programs, among other things.
We do not have the answers, nor do we pretend to have them.
But we must do something more, and quickly.
Aug 05, 2011
thenassauguardian editorial
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