The Tribune

By Khrisna Virgil

Deputy Chief Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames rejected Royal Caribbean’s warning to its passengers calling Arawak Cay’s Fish Fry a concerning crime area, insisting yesterday there is no statistical evidence to support the assertion.

However, as the alert for the area is the second for the year – the first issued by the US State Department in January – Mr Dames admitted there is a need to clean up negative perceptions of the major hub where tourists can experience Bahamian culture and cuisine.

Mr Dames pointed to overall crime figures being on the decline with the exception of rapes, which saw a slight increase this year over last year.

In a letter to Anthem of the Seas passengers dated December 26, Captain Srecko Ban wrote that the cruise line felt it was important to inform guests that Nassau had been experiencing an increase in crime, adding non-violent crimes, such as theft of personal items, are the most common types of crimes.

But the letter did note that thousands of visitors routinely travelled to Nassau without incident before offering personal safety tips.

These included leaving “valuables and irreplaceable items” in the cabin safe; avoiding wearing expensive jewellery and flashing cash; and taking only the cash and credit cards that are required.

Captain Ban then recommended guests not venture too far from tourist areas and consider participating in an organised tour. He noted particular areas of concern included the Sand Trap on West Bay Street, the Fish Fry and other areas of Nassau referred to as ‘Over-the-Hill’ by locals, which should be avoided after sunset.

The letter appeared to mirror the concerns outlined in the US State Department’s January 2018 travel advisory on The Bahamas, which also urged American visitors to stay clear of the Arawak Cay Fish Fry.

“The statistics will not bear that out,” Mr Dames told The Tribune when contacted about the cruise line warning, which came six days after the Canadian government warned its citizens to exercise caution when visiting the country due to increased violent crimes and sexual assaults.

“But everyone has a right to issue whatever they want to their guests or customers. They have a certain perception of Arawak Cay. While the statistics may not bear that out, it may be pointing to a number of issues that we have to look at collectively and I think this speaks to this whole sense of collective responsibility really and what it will probably mean is us meeting with the cruise lines and sitting with them and understanding exactly what are their concerns because it’s not reflected in the statistics.

“But if people perceive something to be a certain way then something obviously is triggering that and so once we understand what those overall concerns are, then we must now work towards bringing all of the respective stakeholders together and see how collectively we can address those concerns. The concerns don’t always have to be reported crimes or crime related matters because if people perceive something to be a certain way, that’s just as bad as something happening.

“We must ask what are people seeing when they go out there and that too can play a very important part.”

He also said: “This is not the first time we have come to this place and I don’t suspect that it will be the last, but we always have to look at how can we improve the delivery of service to our customers and it doesn’t always have to do with the police that is why I said it calls for a collective effort to improve the environment - the conditions of that place. I am certain we will get everyone together and find a solution to the problem.”

Regarding the advisory from the Canadian government, Mr Dames said he did not know what prompted the warning but he said it was not the end of the world.

“Crime is the lowest it’s been in years,” he said. “We will have to find out exactly what’s precipitating this and see how we can work with the Canadians and whomever to find ways to addressing this problem. I mean in Toronto crime’s up, murders and homicides are up in Toronto, Canada.

“The commissioner will very early in the New Year will give you a more micro-level overview of the crime statistics but as I said before when you look at serious crimes armed robberies and homicides these are down.

“They are never as low as we would like them to be but this is something that we promised and we will continue to work to bring the level of crime down, but also reduce the level of fear because sometimes numbers don’t always determine fear levels. You can have one incident and that could evoke fear and so we understand that there are any number of variables impacting how people perceive crime and we’re looking at every one of those variables.

“Do we have work to do? Of course we do. I’d be the first one to tell you we have work to do despite the numbers being down, but one thing I would say is that we are on the right track and we’re moving in the right direction,” Mr Dames said.