DEMOCRATIC National Alliance leader Branville McCartney says he does not feel safe as law enforcement battles the ongoing scourge of crime in the Bahamas. Describing the constant bloodshed as a travesty, Mr McCartney declared that the Christie administration simply lacks the political will to control criminal activity.
By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
DEMOCRATIC National Alliance leader Branville McCartney says he does not feel safe as law enforcement battles the ongoing scourge of crime in the Bahamas. Describing the constant bloodshed as a travesty, Mr McCartney declared that the Christie administration simply lacks the political will to control criminal activity.
He was speaking during a press conference at Halsbury Chambers on Village Road yesterday where the DNA assessed the Christie administration’s progress just days short of its two-year anniversary in government. Mr McCartney said Operation Safe Bahamas and Urban Renewal 2.0 – both plans on which the PLP campaigned on the combat crime – have failed to have any impact.
“I don’t feel safe in this country,” he said, “I might as well put that on record. This government promised to deal with it and they have not. They have failed miserably to deal with the crime problem in the country. When I drive home, I don’t feel safe.”
“It affects your personal life. We live in paradise, but we are paralysed by fear. We are in prison in our own homes because of the criminal element running amuck in this country.”
Asked if the DNA had the answers to solving the crime situation in the Bahamas, Mr McCartney said his party believes in enforcing the death penalty and allowing the Royal Bahamas Police Force to do its job, among other things.
“We need to unleash the Commissioner. Let the Commissioner and the police do their jobs. We need to stop this political interference. Because you will find over and repeatedly that these criminal-minded persons, many of them have persons who can make a call to government officials and say ‘I’ve been locked up’ and then the government officials say (to the Commissioner) ‘Let my man go or let my woman go’.
“We need to start sweating the small stuff (and) enforcing our laws from the simple crimes right up to the most heinous crimes. There is no order and there is no discipline in this country. We have a society that’s not disciplined. We have a society that doesn’t have order.
“The number one order of the day is to get crime under control. That is what we will do and we will have the political will to enforce the law,” Mr McCartney said.
Comments
TalRussell 10 years, 7 months ago
If God chooses Bran to be PM, so be it? But if so, He needs call Comrade Bran in for some serious political re-da-rection, that is - unless barring some divine miracle come 2017, He surprise all we, even Bran? In the meantime, I'll have to wait for God, to directly sends me some signs, not "public flogging days in Rawson Square, introducing Thailand style 8 o'clock nighty curfews of citizens and "tourists," all in the head of a PM Bran. Now, he's added to his list, too afraid to drive in his car from his Village Road Bunker to his residence.
newcitizen 10 years, 7 months ago
God doesn't choose the Prime Minister. Bahamian citizens do. Maybe thinking God has a say in it is why we are in such a mess with our governments.
spoitier 10 years, 7 months ago
Tal, what is the murder rate in Thailand?Maybe Bran ma be on to somehing here.
BeachBoy 10 years, 7 months ago
If the DNA had wanted to have an impact on the country they should have focused on two or three constituencies, used strong candidates, and offered a real platform for change. By dreading themselves across every single constituency they offered weak candidates and a non-existent platform. Then there's Bran's promise to step down if he didn't win his seat...
That being said, while I hate the idea of the death penalty, I fully support the idea of sweating the small stuff. Fine people for minor infractions - no helmets on motorcycles, running red lights, speeding, reckless driving, etc. If the public knows that they're being watched closely and will most likely be punished for something small, then someone larger is bound to cause even larger punishment.
CANDACESCOTT 10 years, 7 months ago
That being said, while I hate the idea of the death penalty, I fully support the idea of sweating the small stuff. Fine people for minor infractions - no helmets on motorcycles, running red lights, speeding, reckless driving, etc. If the public knows that they're being watched closely and will most likely be punished for something small, then someone larger is bound to cause even larger punishment.
I AGREE WHOLE HEARTEDLY....something needs to be done urgently!
newcitizen 10 years, 7 months ago
Plus all those fines and tickets would be enough to replace VAT!
B_I_D___ 10 years, 7 months ago
Got to make it to where things don't just 'go away' or get 'lost' or 'overlooked'. Everyone knows everyone and can usually find some sympathetic person from the lowly clerk, to the head of whatever department to whatever politician wants to 'scratch your back', to make all this small stuff vaporize. It needs to stop, we need to speed up the legal system as well so that people get into court in a timely fashion. Did you know that if you are not served a summons for a traffic violation in 6 months, the ticket is dead, they can't prosecute you. They may try, but if you were told at a traffic stop to expect a summons and 6 months rolls by and no one knocks on your door...that's it...it's done. These inefficiencies are the very loopholes that are exploited...hey...I know so and so...I'll delay that long enough, don't worry about. Heck...they can't even get you a simple police report for an accident. They say to check back in 2 weeks, and 2 months later the report is still not ready.
Bahamianpride 10 years, 7 months ago
Brand full of it. A wealthy man like himself doesn't have to put up with crime, its about power for him. With crime u must address the problem but also deal with what feeds it. Reckless irresponsible breeding, poor education, uncontrolled illegal immigration, employment & systemic corruption. He says nothing of these things. As I type, some irresponsible man is empregnating some irresponsible women & the child will be abandoned by father without guidance possibly producing the next criminal. Any crime solution without family planning or sterilization for some is a failed strategy. Next u have to secure our borders & stop the flow of illegal guns, immigrants & drugs. All he offers us is blood by the hangman to satisfy our anger but no real long term solution. Death is only a deterant to the man who values his life. We have to create a society where our young men are raised right including receiving proper education
BahamianAway 10 years, 7 months ago
You can't be serious...this is the same Branville Mcartney who lost his brother to murderers. But wait maybe that brother wasn't a wealthy man having to deal with crime...but then again maybe I didn't read the article that said his brother was killed in retaliation for a previous crime where said brother defended himself against criminals.
While you have a point about addressing where crime stems from in terms of reckless breeding, poor education and such...those same people rob and murder folks like Bran. So to say he doesn't have to put up with crime is a crazy statement- if anything because he is wealthy he is one of the prime targets.
Bahamianpride 10 years, 7 months ago
He can jump on a plane & leave, many don't have that option, the tragedy of his brother happened in a poor community, one neither has to enter. His brother was set up. A rich man can live anywhere, poor Bahamians have no choice. Many rich Bahamians take there wives to Florida to give birth so there kids can have U.S birth certificates so there kids always have more options.
BahamianAway 10 years, 7 months ago
He can jump on a plane and leave, yes but then what. He sits in another country and wait to buy citizenship and the right to work. You can't just jump in another country and legally start living life as though you came from no where.
As for the Bahamians having children abroad, the only option that gives is to say you are born in the US. Unless your parents are residing in the US and can prove residency then you have no citizenship because you become the nationality of your father. Maybe back in the 90's and such you could do things like that but not with immigration issues being in the forefront the way they are these days.
thomas 10 years, 7 months ago
Not true... anyone born in the U S is a citizen of that country
BahamianAway 10 years, 7 months ago
Again that depends on where the parents reside...I know of cases where a Bahamian mother went to the US and had a child. That child was not automatically granted US citizenship. It had to be applied for...
thomas 10 years, 7 months ago
not true I was born in Miami to Bahamian parents, grew up in the Bahamas. I am a U S citizen automatically,
thomas 10 years, 7 months ago
Nowadays infants need a U S passport to leave the country.
spoitier 10 years, 7 months ago
You took the words right out of my mouth.
BahamianAway 10 years, 7 months ago
I agree wholeheartedly...enforce the death penalty and start taking even the smallest infraction of the law seriously. You break the law and you are caught expect to face the consequences of your actions. People committing these crimes don't fear any repercussions because first of all if they get caught they know that by the time they tangle up the legal system they won't receive any real punishment for crimes committed.
Start making public examples...if "niggas" want to act like the Bahamas is the wild wild west then treat them as though it is. Hang a few of them up for the others to see...let them know that crime will not be tolerated.
Bahamianpride 10 years, 7 months ago
BahamianAway, The streets are already enforcing the death penalty.. If u just get locked up & they think u snitching u dead, then retaliation killing. We passed the time where death penalty would scare anyone. We dealing with the man who does not value his life. The time to check this was in the early 80's with investment in education but all our politicians & cops cared about was lining there pockets & people who where not directly affect stucked their heads in the sand. Now crime is at their door step. I live through that mess, nobody cared thats why I left when I got a chance.
BahamianAway 10 years, 7 months ago
That's not the same...that's people taking the law into their own hands, furthermore the same people killing in retaliation are also criminals. Criminals need to be tried in a court by people appointed to uphold the law.
Bahamianpride 10 years, 7 months ago
The criminal element is entrenched in our police force as well, they behave like a goane squad beating up the poor. Our politicians R crooks, & the religious leaders are jacked up as well. The court system is poorly ran & backlogged with cases giving bail to murderers, delivering piss poor justice & relying on foreigners to render legal decisions (privy Council). Our country needs a revolution to clean up this mess. The lawlessness & corruption runs to deep. We need A moral cleansing & Bran is not the man to lead the charge he has not presented any ideas. I support death penalty but hang um is not a long term strategy.
spoitier 10 years, 7 months ago
In the minds of criminals everywhere, they think that day won't come for them. It is an invincible mentality, so being killed on the streets isn't as scary and being killed by the electric chair or hanging.
paul_vincent_zecchino 10 years, 7 months ago
Exactly. It's not that they don't fear getting croaked in the chair, they just believe they're invincible, that the police will never catch them and even if they do, no court will convict them and even if convicted, they'll 'beat it on appeal'.
"Go ahead and convict me. History will absolve me." - Fidel Castro-Ruz, ca. 1955
Bahamianpride 10 years, 7 months ago
About enforcement of infraction this needs to be done but I would say the example of lawlessness starts from the top. We have P.M. calling banks for friends, illegal Corrupt BOB loans to politicians, no bid contracts awarded to political supporters etc. To end lawlessness the law must be enforced with consistency at all level. Even once in a while the people need to see corrupt connect politicians and friends get locked up for not obeying the law. This would send a message..
John 10 years, 7 months ago
The problem with crime and murder started in this country some 40 years ago with the cocaine epidemic and a massive abuse of other drugs and substances. The children of the coke heads and drug abusers in the 80's and 90's are the major perpetrators of crime and violence and murder today. They, themselves are drug abusers and they do not have the ability to reason, So to clean up the crime problem you must first clean up the drug problem. More than half the men in New Providence and quite a number of young women are regular marijuana users. They believe the lie that marijuana is a harmless drug. But the fact is that the marijuana on the street today is genetically altered and force grown. It is more potent and more harmful than the marijuana that was around in the 1970's. Back then no one went out of their head or was committed to Sandilands for smoking pot. Check the statistics now. The mindset of a heavy drug user is different from reality. And much of the population lacks a proper diet (many live of fast food) and this is compounded by heavy drug use. There needs to be a massive drug rehab program in this country. There is a different type of " joneser' from the cocaine era..these new weed heads are self centered, cold blooded killers. They do not have the ability to reason and they do not weigh the consequences of their actions. They do not fear God because many of them do not know him. Capital punishment is after the fact.
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