The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

AFTER a recent spate of murders in the capital, Nassau Village MP Halson Moultrie is calling on the police force to conduct “a dragnet operation” to get illegal firearms off the streets.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, the House of Assembly Speaker said more needs to be done to address the gang culture that seems to be plaguing the country.

“It’s easy to pick up a gun and to take someone’s life or to cause grievous bodily harm when you cannot rationalise a decision and come back the following day to bring a resolution,” Mr Moultrie said.

“So, my position will continue to be one of bringing life and bringing life more abundantly, an educational process, so the young men in particular of Nassau Village will understand that it’s inhumane and ungodly to take the life of another human being no matter what the circumstances may be and we have to do something more to address the gang culture.

“I recommend strongly that the police take a dragnet operation to rid this seven by twenty-one island of all illegal firearms. I believe that can be done. We need to get more serious in dealing with illegal firearms in this country.”

His comments come after Vincent Knowles Jr, 26, was fatally wounded during a drive-by shooting as he was walking on Forbes Street in Nassau Village around 8.30pm Tuesday, becoming the country’s latest homicide. That killing came after two men were fatally shot last week amid other gun crimes.

Speaking to reporters at the scene on Tuesday, police press liaison officer ASP Audley Peters said there was no preliminary information suggesting the killing is gang-related or that it is connected to any recent homicides.

However, sources in the inner-city communities have suggested some of the recent crime is gang-related.

Noting that the culture of gun violence will not end “overnight”, Mr Moultrie said he and his team continue to undertake initiatives in the Nassau Village community geared towards youth upliftment and self-improvement.

“We try to implement a culture in Nassau Village of ‘live and let live,’” he said. “Just recently, in the collaboration with ZONTA for the 16 days to end violence against women and girls, we had an initiative at the entrance of Nassau Village and my representation has also been one of trying to encourage education, upliftment and community spirit.

“We have a theme of love, peace and unity in the community, but the difficulty is that when a certain culture has set in for so long, it doesn’t change overnight and so those persons who have fallen through the cracks in our educational system, the social promotion system that permits young men in particular to avoid classes, to go through the public school system in particular from grade one to grade 12 and exit without being able to read and write, it is difficult for them when it comes to their reasoning power and analytical ability in conflict resolution matters.”

Earlier this week, National Security Minister Marvin Dames expressed confidence that the police force can maintain law and order.

Asked by a reporter about concerns of a “gang war” in retaliation of the shooting death of a man killed off Kemp Road last week, Mr Dames said on Tuesday: “I’m certain the commissioner of police and his officers have that or anything else related to (those concerns) in hand.

“Listen, this is the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) is charged with the business of maintaining law and order and they take that very seriously.

“The police have a very robust intelligence arm. They have tremendous response capability and I have no concern about their ability to maintain law and order in this country,” Mr Dames said.