The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

Businessmen in the Coconut Grove area yesterday urged the Royal Bahamas Police Force to “step up patrols” as the recent surge in murders is “just a little too close for comfort”.

Ivan Carey, general manager of Kenneth’s Food Store on Bahama Avenue, told Tribune Business that the sudden uptick in killings and crime has him “concerned” for the safety of his employees and patrons.

“While it seems like it’s targeted persons, there is always that feeling that innocent people could get hurt in whatever is going on because, from what we have gathered, this is a turf war and it’s targeting certain people. I wouldn’t say I feel threatened, but it is just a little too close for comfort right now,” he said.

The Grove in recent weeks has become a so-called crime ‘hot spot’ for law enforcement due to the spike in shootings, which have left four dead and two in hospital.

More than 50 percent of Mr Carey’s customers are walk-ins from the surrounding neighbourhoods, and he said: “We haven’t gotten any feedback from our customers that they are afraid to come to the store. We still have a pretty good flow and it doesn’t seem to have affected the business.”

Concerned that the crime spike may lead to more armed robberies, Mr Carey added: “I want the police to step up on some patrols in this area. Even as of [today] something happened through Florida Court and we saw police cars flying by. Someone told us that a victim is being tended to in the ambulance and there are a lot of police in the area now.”

Some companies have moved to close earlier while it is still daylight. Matthew Kemp, J-Co Trading’s assistant manager on Robinson Road, said: “We decided to close earlier. We used to close at 7pm, but now we close at 6.30pm. We used to close at 6pm before the time sprang forward an hour.

“We just have to keep our guard up, and I just want to advise more Bahamians to use more non-physical aspects of self-defence and try to avoid conflicts, putting in place alarms and investing in more surveillance equipment. While these may seem as weak crime deterrents, we believe once someone sees a system in place they would think twice before attempting something. I try to not dress too flashy either. I try to tone down my dress so as not to attract any unwanted attention.”

Valderine Burrows, owner/operator of Just a Touch of Love on Fourth Street, the Grove, added: “We just go home a little earlier and we close at 4pm now instead of 5.30pm. Our customers have not been registering any concerns with the rise in crime in the area or anything like that.”

Arnold Heastie, owner/operator of the Esso gas station on Blue Hill Road, said: “I haven’t been impacted by the rise in crime in the area. I live in the Grove and I understand everything that happens around here.”