By Ed Fields
Managing Director
Downtown Nassau Partnership
If other countries can write about how careful to be when coming to the Bahamas, we should exercise the same right to both defend our country and to alert our citizens, and by extension the world, about the dangers of other destinations.
As a former editor of a local leading newspaper said to me recently, “Its amazing what a little research will uncover”.
The Bahamas as of 2017 had a population of 395,361. That’s the number used to determine our per capita statistics. I have always felt that per capita is a little spurious when it comes to small populations. Because at the end of the day the number is the number. That is the standardized method so we will stick with that.
Over the past week I got several calls that were concerned about one thing. “If I bring my daughter to the Bahamas or if I allow her to travel there how safe is she?" To answer that question we will take Miami, Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale and the Cruise ships and compare them with the Bahamas based on 2017 statistics.
• Miami: Population 463,347. Rapes reported 106. (No visitor numbers available)
• Ft. Lauderdale Population 180,072 Rapes reported 91. (No visitor numbers available)
• Orlando: Population 280, 256 Rapes reported 190. (No visitor numbers available)
• Cruise ships: passenger reported sexual assaults 59. Total reported sexual assaults 76. (The numbers were made up primarily of two shipping lines with one of those lines having the lion’s share of the incidents).
• Bahamas: 395,361. Rapes reported 49 (visitors 3)
What do these numbers indicate? Quite simply we are one of safest destinations as it relates to serious crimes, specifically sexual assault. Why do we not pronounce that to world? Instead, we allow ourselves to be defined by others’ negative and inaccurate narratives, and worse, we copy and paste those narratives in our media.
We are no different from most places. We have issues. Like those destinations in Florida, those issues do not generally extend to visitor populations. All we ask is to be judged by the same standards others are. Yes, like most comparable destinations, visitors are impacted by crime but most often in extremely low numbers. That does not make us an unsafe destination, just not perfect, but more perfect than most.
Check out this article on how dangerous is it to travel to the U.S. The writer's conclusion is as sound for the Bahamas as it is for the U.S. if not even more so for the Bahamas.
https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/united-states-travel-safety/
Comments
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 8 months ago
Notice how this arse pretends to speak with such great authority but fails to identify the source of his info for the number of rapes in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando during 2017. Each of these cities has a greater metropolitan population well in excess of one million, meaning the incidence per capita is much less than he suggests. And for him to say there were only 49 cases of rape in the Bahamas in 2017 is absolutely laughable. We could only wish the number of instances of rape in our country was ever anywhere near that low. Just who does this idiot think he's trying to fool? LMAO
Islangal1 5 years, 8 months ago
I agree, if you're going to come in defence of your country with data, you have to give the source. I also agree with you that no way there were only 49 rapes in The Bahamas in 2017. There's more marital rape than that or are they only counting the ones reported by Tourist.
John 5 years, 8 months ago
Remember these the same set of people Marvin Dames and Anthony Ferguson invited into our country to launch assault on the Bahamian people with black helicopters and military tactics. Notice how every crime especially drug busts for small amounts of marijuana are making the headlines. Building a crime report for the country that appears worse than it really is. Then they use your same crime report to tell their people not to visit your country. That’s when you have people in charge who are too green and underexposed to understand what’s going or too pompous and overzealous to understand the consequences of their actions to bring a foreign entity into the country and give them full access. Then the add the country to the list of drug trafficking countries for drugs (in small quantities) that are legal or decriminalized in their own country. How ignorant and how big a boot licker can you be?
John 5 years, 8 months ago
Have you heard about ‘Operation Fast and Furious?’ This was an undercover program where the US’s Department of Alchol, Tobbacco and Firearms were allowed to purchase over 2000 high powered weapons to be used to track illegal gun sales throughout Mexico and the United States. But guess what? Over 1,200 of these high powered weapons went missing. And in 2011 it was discovered that one of these weapons were used to kill two boarder patrol agents st the boarder between Mexico and the US. And around the same time these high powered weapons went missing was the same time similar type weapons started showing up on the streets of New Providence and being used in the commission of crimes. Some of these weapons were recovered by local police. But we’re any checks made to determine the origin of the weapons? Were any from that cache of 1,200 that went missing from ATF?
DDK 5 years, 8 months ago
Weapons are like pennies to U.S.A. If they lose or misplace one or one million, who's counting or who cares? They misplace them all over the world these days............
TalRussell 5 years, 8 months ago
Well... let us see now if we beloved Queen Liz, will be thinking the exact same thing all we thinking about position taken by the Downtown Nassau Partnership's managing director Comrade Eddie. Only for and by the grace we Queen, can man with such responsibly to Her Majesty's colony, not be challenging his beloved Queen - not revoke he citizenship papers, yes, no?
John 5 years, 8 months ago
Can someone please explain what relationship Tal Russell has with The Tribune such that after years he continues to scribble such incomprehensible gibberish tithe annoyance and distraction of other who seek intellectual stimulation or, at least to read what they can understand. Even a child learns to write that which is comprehensib at the age of five.
DWW 5 years, 8 months ago
I just flag him every opportunity. You do the same please.
John 5 years, 8 months ago
In one of these reports these US agency claims there are over 163 gangs operating in the Bahamas and there is a real possibility of some of these gangs growing into drug cartels similar to those operating in Colombia and Mexico. Seriously?
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 8 months ago
You obviously know nothing about the serious nature of the Haitian gangs that now exist in South Florida.
TalRussell 5 years, 8 months ago
I does wonder if comrade Sandy has any recollection whether or not he stepped back on February 03, 2014 from speaking out when his boss man's Sarkis, "interfered" by going public describing the Colony of Out Islands as being "ravaged" by crime and high unemployment", yes, no, did Sarkis too cross the line?
bobneville 5 years, 8 months ago
Again,i have to agree with mudda florida hav a population of more than 21million people and miami is there largest populated city you get the numbers,...and to think ,this guy,has been,or is working on paradise atlantis for over twenty years and have learned nothing,i knew he was an idiot but not at this pro portion,now every body knows your an ass,dangy was right,when he quoted and said that "the highter you clime,the more you expose your arse.
birdiestrachan 5 years, 8 months ago
Was this Fields man concern when other Advisory were sent out or is his new found concern only because the FNM Government is in power??
These travel advisory are nothing new.. "???
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