The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I would like to add to the discussion about crime. Crime cost The Bahamas millions annually in security cost, health, law enforcement and other related impediments. So far, the approach to combating crime in The Bahamas and the Caribbean has been combative instead of preventative.

All our police force has been militarised, triggering an armed race between law enforcement and criminals. It has yielded little success.

I would suggest a more comprehensive approach societal re-engineering

The military or combative approach should be available occasionally but the main stay must be education and an adequate social safety net. Criteria based public assistance. No successful democracy in the developed world has been able to exist without such a system.

We could spend tens of millions in law enforcement and health cost, etc, or spend millions in education, poverty eradication and inclusion. Look at the empirical data, global and locally. Every mouth must be fed or the streets will run red.

BRIAN ELLIS PLUMMER

Nassau,

August 23, 2016.