The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

CRIME declined by seven percent in 2019 despite a four percent uptick in murders and a 12 percent increase in armed robberies, according to police statistics. Police Commissioner Anthony Ferguson, as he released the statistics, cited Hurricane Dorian for the murder increase from 91 in 2018 to 95 in 2019, saying law enforcement will learn from having its resources stretched to respond to a natural disaster.

Compared to 2018, murders declined in the first, second and fourth quarters of 2019 by 27, seven and 31 percent respectively. However, murders increased in the third quarter by 18 percent.

“Having to police between Abaco and New Providence using resources from Nassau in Abaco, we were stretched,” Commissioner Ferguson said. “We had to remove the persons who were in the actual storm from out of Abaco which meant rotating persons weekly and taking persons out daily by flights and boat. Before the storm, there were 49 officers stationed on Abaco and today there are 75. While our attention was focused on Abaco and surrounding cays, a handful of criminals wreaked havoc in New Providence.”

Police implemented a 24-hour operational strategy to respond to the crime bump in the third quarter, Commissioner Ferguson said, resulting in the confiscation of 23 weapons, 263 rounds of ammunition and the arrest of 1,290 people, twelve of whom were arrested for murder, five for attempted murder and 44 for armed robbery. Seventy-one people were arrested for drug related matters during this period and 22 for unlicensed firearms, the commissioner said.

Nonetheless, the police chief said shootings remain unacceptably high and have not declined year-to-year. The released police statistics do not show how many non-fatal shootings occurred. 

Seventeen, sixteen, fourteen, thirteen and eleven percent of murders happened in south central, southeastern, central, southwestern and eastern New Providence respectively, the only areas to record double digit percentages of murders. 

Forty-nine percent of the killings happened between 4pm and midnight, 35 percent from 12am to 8am and 16 percent from 8am to 4pm.

Fifty-six of the murders happened on the streets and 24 percent at residences. Six percent happened at bars or clubs, four percent in yards, two at businesses, two at restaurants, one on a beach and one in a government building.

Police believe conflict was the source of 38 percent of the killings; 22 percent occurred as retaliation; 13 percent because of drugs and eight percent because of gangs. A firearm was used in 79 of the murders. More than half of the victims were between 18 and 45.

Ten of the 95 murders happened in Grand Bahama, a 67 percent increase over 2018; there were five murders in the Family Islands. 

In 2019, there were 37 reports of rape, down from 55 in 2018; there were seven reports of attempted rape and 97 reports of unlawful sexual intercourse, down respectively from 11 and 113 in 2018.

There were 531 armed robbery reports compared to 474 in 2018.

There were 113 reports of burglary, 684 of housebreaking, 495 of shop breaking and 283 reports of stolen vehicle, all down from 2018.

Police arrested 1,720 people for drugs in 2019, including 28 juveniles. Forty-one marijuana plants were confiscated in New Providence, 6,836 in Grand Bahama and 98,747 in Family Islands. 

Arrests were made in connection with 53 marijuana cookies, one marijuana cake, seven marijuana cupcakes, 20 marijuana brownies and two marijuana gummy bears police found.

Thirty-six pounds of cocaine were found and police found 5882.19 pounds of marijuana. 

Illegal drugs confiscated included 2,506 ecstasy tablets and 5,968 aprazolam tablets. 

Police also reported charging 163 people for financial crimes in 2019, including 96 for fraud, 29 for stealing by way of employment, 16 for stealing by way of service and 32 for forged documents.