The Tribune

By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement deputy leader Shanendon Cartwright has urged the government to come up with a strategy to address the issue of bail as the number of murders in the country continues to climb.

The St Barnabas MP also called on officials to reconsider their position on bail after recent statistics revealed that the majority of persons murdered this year were on bail for serious offences.

His remarks followed two weekend murders.

Further, on Friday an arraignment in a Magistrate’s Court revealed that not only a murder victim - Ayundo Louis - but both of his accused killers were on bail on separate murder charges.

In view of recent comment by Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander that he was hopeful the country “finishes the year strong” by staying under the 100 murder mark with four more months in the year, Mr Cartwright said that a concerted effort to tackle the issue of bail must be undertaken by the government.

“Given recent revelations by the commissioner of police with regard to the correlation of the majority of people who were murdered this year being out on bail for serious offences, a concerted strategy to address the issue of bail must be articulated by the government,” he said. “The commissioner also noted that the majority of murders are gang affiliated. The attorney general last week said that the government is also looking at the penal code with regard to gang offences that might require a stand alone bill.”

While the deputy leader stated that laws already exist to address the issue, he further implored the government to further consider improving the judicial system so that they have more resources allocated to them to better address crime in the nation and ensure swifter justice.

“The fact of the matter is that these laws already exist. While we do not expect police to tip their hand as to sensitive intelligence, we have not gotten a sense that the emphasis on utilising the existing statute is occurring. Showing connections to others charged with serious crimes and the frequency with which gang members kill and are killed would make sense from a prosecution standpoint. While the issue of bail is a constitutional right, so is the right to a speedy trial. The government must carefully consider improving the function of our court system with regard to remuneration of judges and other resources,” Mr Cartwright said.

He also asked the government to increase police visibility on the streets to deter violent crime against the average citizen. Mr Cartwright said his party stands in solidarity with the government and law enforcement to ensure the safety and well-being of Bahamians and reaffirmed his dedication to such a task.

“We are also very concerned about the uptick in armed robberies targeting law-abiding citizens. One of the simplest tools to deter crimes of opportunity that armed robbers often seek to perpetrate is police visibility. Even though resources are strained, the government has committed to putting police in schools. We think police resources dedicated to more robust patrolling in general would be much more useful. This cycle of violence is becoming a way of life and death for too many. We cannot tire in this fight and we must all stay vigilant as stakeholders. As always, the opposition stands with the police and the government with regard to public safety and order in our beautiful Bahamas,” he said.