The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE murder rate dropped by more than a fifth in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same period last year, according to Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander. 

On Monday in Trinidad and Tobago during a two-day symposium on violence in the region, he presented crime statistics showing the 22 percent decline in the Bahamas.

“This far for the year, we have recorded 35 (murders) for the first quarter of the year,” Mr Fernander said. “You could see a decrease to compare with (2022). Around the same time, it was a total of 45, so you could see it decreasing.” 

The latest crime data comes after Allison Thompson, 35, and her 14-year-old daughter Trevorniqua were murdered over the weekend.

Police are again trying to keep the number of murders below 100, a goal that eluded them last year when 128 people were killed.

 Commissioner Fernander said police would flood the streets and hot spot areas to tackle crime.

 “This far for the year, we have taken over 100 weapons for the first three months of this year. So, what this is telling us is that the streets are flooded with weapons — illegal weapons. That is a problem,” he said. 

 He also highlighted emerging crime trends concerning drug and gun smuggling, such as using cargo ships to conceal illegal drugs. 

 He showed attendees videos of police confiscating and examining well-sealed weapons in shipment boxes.

 Referring to one operation where a large number of drugs were found on a ship, he said: “In the slide, you would see there’s a magnet on the packages that’s under the exhaust and attached to the metal so you have to go up under. With your naked eyes, you would not have been able to see that but our canine (dog) was able to (sniff) that out and found over 60-something kilos of cocaine so this is an emerging trend.”

 “I see in Trinidad a lot of cargo ships and oil ships out there so this is something I believe we need to pay attention to as well … and after carefully examining the packages, they had trackers on it so if you steal (drugs, criminals are) able to track exactly where the drugs are and then you end up dead. That’s the emerging trend,” he said.

 Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis called the crime statistics presented during the symposium sobering and said they are a stark reminder of the challenges ahead. 

“We must reform our bail policies, review our legal systems, and explore ways to expedite cases while ensuring that the rights of the accused are respected,” he said during the conference’s closing ceremony. “The bloodshed on the streets of the Caribbean is a heart-wrenching tragedy, and we must do everything in our power to put an end to it.”

 He said the symposium represented an essential step in fostering greater regional cooperation and developing a united front against crime.  

He insisted that their efforts must not end there, adding: “We must continue to build upon foundations laid during these two days working together to create a comprehensive, cohesive strategy that addresses the root causes of crime and violence in our region.”  

“I welcome Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s call for a comprehensive action plan to be completed in the wake of this symposium. Her proposals, including a CARICOM arrest warrant, rotation of judges, enlargement of magistrates’ jurisdiction, and enhanced forensic cooperation, underscore the need for regional collaboration to improve our legal processes and dismantle criminal networks across our region.”