The Tribune

By LORETTA BUTLER-TURNER

ACCORDING to the World Health Organisation we have an epidemic.

No, I am not writing of mosquitoes and viruses, I am referring to the violent crime that is unravelling our communities, threatening our economy and halting the future of our children. By global standards, Bahamians are murdered so frequently that our crime moves with the same speed and virulence of an infectious disease.

(The year) 2015 was the deadliest year in Bahamian history after 149* people were killed. As with any great matter of public health, we must act collectively and decisively so that we restore order to our communities, taking real action against crime.

Imagine a safe and secure Bahamas. What do you expect to be different from today? You see buildings that are not covered in graffiti, people working hard at their jobs and children in schools instead of on the streets. What you are imagining are the results of a strong society that enforces its laws and cultivates its economy so that crime is not a means of survival.

If we are going to make our imagination reality, then we must be willing to fight against crime at every level of our society, this means preventing crime, enforcing our laws and strengthening penalties so that risks outweigh rewards.

Preventing crime starts with opportunity. We must directly address the causes of crime, such as poverty and inequality, if we want to leave a better Bahamas for future generations. Through improvements in education, opportunity scholarships for hardworking students, and interventions to stop gang recruitment of our children, we will make the social change needed so that our youth do not look to crime as a means to an end.

However, we cannot stop with our children. To effectively respond to the economic problems that cause crime, we must consider job creation part of the solution. Our rate of unemployment is 15 per cent and it is expected to increase. While we cannot excuse the violation of our laws, we must understand that crime is the chosen path for many because they feel there are no options left. Government alone cannot solve the problem. In partnering with the private sector, we can ensure that young Bahamians have the skills needed to be employable and assist in finding them jobs so that they can resist the temptations of criminal life.

For those that choose criminality, we must use the full force of our justice system to demonstrate that any act of crime, no matter how big or small, is an act of hostility towards our community. This will require bringing real change to our broken justice system and leaders who are willing to root out incompetence and corruption. But it is our opportunity and our responsibility to make our justice system accountable, so that our laws are enforced equally and swiftly.

With the improved foundation of an accountable justice system, we will be able to build a safe society. We know that every petty theft is an invitation for more crime, so we must be relentless. Closed circuit television (CCTV) and New Providence-wide saturation police patrols will allow us to address crime as soon as it is spotted. Acknowledging that the problem of crime is not isolated to the Bahamas is imperative so that we can actively partner with America, Cuba, Haiti and Dominica to be effective and efficient in our fight against the drug trade.

How many nights have you laid awake wondering about your safety? It’s time to look towards the future with hope, not anxiety. By creating stronger, safer communities and changing our justice system, the Bahamas can see the transformation that New York City and so many others have seen. You deserve real change and real results, but we can only have them if we move forward, together.

*According to Royal Bahamas Police Force statistics, threre were 146 murders in The Bahamas in 2015.

According to the most recent figures released by the Department of Statistics in December, the country’s overall unemployment rate is 14.8 per cent.

Loretta Butler-Turner is the Free National Movement’s Member of Parliament for Long Island. She is also the former minister of state for social development.