The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

Ordinary crime in New Providence as the statistics will readily show has decreased by more than 30 per cent over the past year.

Those in political opposition to the Gold Rush Administration will opine differently but apart from the unabated slaughter amongst mostly youthful and younger males residing in New Providence crime is under control.

Of the 120 alleged homicides for 2013, 95 per cent of those were perpetuated by males under the age of thirty and all of the victims were under forty. The average resident in the capital has by and large not been directly impacted by this unrelenting plague of violent crime.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force, under the stellar and untainted leadership of Commissioner Ellison Greenslade, is doing a fantastic job, especially as it relates to detection and rapid apprehension of suspected individuals. There is room for improvement, but never has the force performed better than it is doing now, regardless of the armchair politicians and quarter backing.

Housebreaking; petty drug dealing; armed robberies and offences of a sexual nature have all fallen dramatically but this will not ordinarily make the bold and attention grabbing headlines.Bahamians just love scandals and all related thereto.

Petty crime is driven, I submit, largely by economic considerations. If a thief, or a potential one, is able to find a ready buyer for stolen items he/she is motivated to steal items which are in demand by dishonest and complicit citizens.

There are only so many flat screen televisions that a criminal is able to watch at his/her home so the surplus must be disposed of for monetary gain.

Motor vehicles, especially Hondas and other Japanese type cars, are in high demand because of the over the counter costs of securing replacement parts and the length of time it might take to procure them from the dealer overseas or locally.

In addition, too many people are exiting their vehicles while leaving the engine running and, obviously, the doors unlocked.

Valuable personal items are visible and serve as magnets to thieves and other criminally-minded individuals.

As a trained lawyer and an economist, I am often shocked, but not surprised by the political stupidity of many of our leaders across the board. Far too many of them seek political fodder and mileage from the carnage and mayhem being wrought in New Providence and Grand Bahama. It is so sad as we recently celebrated our 40th anniversary as an independent nation.

Without seeking to pre-empt any of the ongoing police investigations, it should be clear to all that with the hundreds of stolen items being recovered by the vigilant members of The Royal Bahamas Police Force on a daily basis that financial considerations are driving crime in all categories, inclusive of homicides.

Evidence that cannot be refuted has clearly demonstrated that most of the alleged homicides in 2012 were as a result of illegal drug activities; gang related vigilante-styled revenge killings and/or involving triangular domestic situations. All of this hype about crime and the fear of crime are just that....hype.

I say this not to justify in any way the senseless killings, but we need to call a spade a spade and come to the abject realisation that we need to re-socialise and rehabilitate our up and coming generation of youthful males, along with some older ones, who reside in New Providence.

The capital is the epicentre of literally all of the recorded violent criminal behaviour.
There is absolutely nothing political about crime even if the politicians need to beef up our laws and to put in place a regime whereby easy bail is no longer granted to repeat offenders. The recent statement by the Rt Hon Prime Minister on crime was brilliant, but unless it is followed up with a concrete plan of action, it too will go the way of the fabled Dodo.

The re-establishment of the Gun Court and the creation of additional well manned and resources Supreme Courts will go a long way in reducing the inordinate back log of serious cases in our judicial system. Our primary penal institution, Fox Hill Prison, needs to be refurbished and additions made thereto.

We frequently talk about overcrowding and the need to rapidly process repeat and oftentimes violent offenders, but despite having acres of available land right next to the current premises we have failed to build additional buildings. Once there was much debate and talk about the construction of a Remand Court in the vicinity of the prison compound. That too has apparently gone the way of the Dodo.

Last year, there were a series of town hall styled forums on crime hosted by the Ministry of National Security. I predicted that nothing of any real value would result from them and, in fact, nothing came out of them, except publicity for the participants.

A specialised Gang Unit must be established immediately. Younger police and defence force officers should be mandated to serve within such a unit under the command of a seasoned senior officer like Asst Supt BK Bonamy, currently attached to the Homicide Division of the CDU.
Bonamy is the best individual to lead such a unit and I urge the powers that be to appoint him now. He and the unit must be unleashed; properly resourced and clearly demarcated. Once up and running, members of the unit should infiltrate all of the known gangs and start to accumulate vital intelligence to bring them to justice and to eliminate the leadership through the judicial system.

The Economics and Power of Crime are capable of being defeated, but all Bahamians of goodwill must step up to the plate. We have to stand and deliver. This is not a PLP or an FNM fight. Never mind the strident calls of the failed DNA to combat crime.
Unless and until we as a people address the real causes of crime and the attendant violence we are going to continue to play possum. To God then, in all things, be the glory.

ORTLAND H BODIE Jr

Nassau,

January 4, 2014.