The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

It is commendable that, in his search for answers to our vexing crime problem, Minister Wayne Munroe would allude to the complexities involved in sentencing and would point out, rightly, that, contrary to the opinions of some, we actually have comparatively stiff sentencing for a variety of offences.

But with respect, the minister is missing a point that is finally being seized upon all over our region, where governments are facing the exact same kinds of challenges with violent crime that we are.

That point is that there is one particular criminal offence that is particularly deserving of hefty sentences both because it is an ingredient of almost every other violent crime and because its prosecution usually does not involve civilian witnesses and victims, who can be intimidated out of testifying in court. As a result, conviction rates are extremely high.

That offence is the possession of illegal firearms.

And it is our sentencing norms for this offence that stand out for their lightness both in our region and among countries (like the United Kingdom) with similar prohibitions on firearms.

Ever since Hubert Ingraham decided to repeal the measly four year minimum sentence for firearm possession, judges and magistrates typically hand out sentences for possession of even the most terrifying, dangerous weapons that are measured in months, rather than years.

The result has been a bloodbath, often involving people who would have been in jail for a previous firearm offence had our sentencing been as strict as our peers.

Mindful of this special place of firearm sentencing in controlling the general rise of violent crime, Jamaica recently passed a minimum 15 year sentence for anyone possessing an illegal firearm. Each additional piece of ammunition carries its own sentence, to run consecutively to the first.

Then, just last week the Barbadian government introduced a bill that will impose a minimum sentence of 10 years, not exceeding 20 years for the first offence. A second offence would mean life imprisonment.

These are the kinds of sentences that an offence as utterly unacceptable as illegal firearm possession should carry in any country that is serious about protecting the safety of its citizens – which is the very first duty of any government.

There can be little doubt that if we followed suit, there would be a measurable decrease in firearm related murders in The Bahamas.

ANDREW ALLEN

Nassau.

November 9, 2022