By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune News Editor
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
OFFICE of the Prime Minister communications director Latrae Rahming said the Davis administration acknowledges that travel advisories and global reports about crime in the country have affected the tourism industry, with the government preparing to launch an aggressive campaign to promote and protect the country’s reputation.
“The prime minister has chaired a number of meetings, has already spoken to key stakeholders and is going to look at how the government can ensure there is no fallout on businesses,” Mr Rahming said.
“The prime minister has already spoken to a number of CEOs, including Baha Mar, Atlantis and a number of major players. Ahead of the spring break season, the government is going to ensure that it signals the right message that The Bahamas is a safe place for both guests and visitors. It will be a collaborative approach with all stakeholders coming together on how we tackle the issue with the travel advisory and most recent situation with Grand Bahama.”
Earlier this month, two American women alleged they were sexually assaulted in Grand Bahama and that Bahamian police botched the investigation. Police have pushed back against their claims, saying the women turned down medical attention. Twenty-five people have been killed locally in one of the deadliest starts to a year in the country.
Mr Rahming said: “There was an impact, but consistent trends do demonstrate that things are levelling out and that we have to now continue to build on a strategy.”
Privately, some in the government and national security system say people feel safe because most killings are targeted and retaliatory, not random.
Mr Rahming said the government’s crime plan is focused on disrupting gangs because many of the people killed “were either known to the police or were out on bail for a particular issue.”
“There have been some instances where you have a domestic violence issue and we are concerned that unintended targets are struck, and this is why our message is always to be very conscious of who it is that you are with and the company you keep because you could find yourself in a very unfortunate situation or one that costs you your life,” he said.
“Bahamians see crime as an issue that needs to be solved. Whilst they might accept that these are targeted killings, they do not like the possibility of the callousness of persons who believe they can execute such heinous acts any time in the day, and anywhere in the day.”
More like this story
- COOPER: WE’LL FIGHT BACK ON CRIME FEAR – Two campaigns are launched to counter international reports
- PM: KEEP MURDERS OFF THE FRONT PAGE – Davis says local press coverage of killings harming tourism
- Dames tells Nottage to call him for solutions to crime
- ‘Govt is seeing success in fight to stem gang war’
- INSIGHT: Is murder a serious issue, or is it not?
Comments
bahamianson 8 months ago
Didn't the deputy Prime say that it wasn't having an impact....Why do people lie so much?
moncurcool 8 months ago
You know this government is the great spin doctors on everything
AnObserver 8 months ago
A marketing campaign? Seriously? This is how they want to fix the crime problem? Sweep it under the rug and pretend like it isn't happening? Isn't that how we got in this mess in the first place?
moncurcool 8 months ago
The problem is that as the government can do all the marketing campaigns they want. The effectiveness is dead on arrival.
They need to realize that the negative international media is due to our local media always wanting to sensationalize a murder or crime and splash it on the front age or top news story on TV. As long as our media does not have the sense to not push crime as their top stories, no marketing will stop people believing The Bahamas is not safe.
Think about it. We have a particular news station that always has the crime report from the police as a key feature. Tell me. Which countries do you see having their nightly news talk about the crime report from the police?
hrysippus 8 months ago
Hi Moncurfool; with regards to your comment can you please tell us which countries , with a free press, have a per capita murder that is even 75% as high as this country. Murder is the main news item because it is the main news item. Everything else is political spin to fool the masses and the tourist business,
moncurcool 8 months ago
Yes, per capita rate it is high.
But the fact still remains the same, if you always putting crime as your top story, even when there is no murder, this is bound to happen.
Yet, the PM is hypocritical, as they want the media to stop putting it out there now, but in 2012, he was leading the political campaign to post the signs all over New Providence.
We must realize, when we put things out there, it cannot be taken back.
AnObserver 8 months ago
You have completely and utterly missed the point. There are murders. There are lots of murders. There are rapes, there are lots of rapes. There are robberies, there are lots of robberies.
If we as a nation don't want a reputation of being an unsafe place to travel, maybe we should be trying to make it a safe place?
Shouting from the rooftops that everything is fine, nothing to see here, isn't going to work, and hasn't worked for the past few decades.
moncurcool 8 months ago
I have not missed the point.
Check out our news reports. Even when there is no murder, crime report from the police is always in there. It is like we get a high from talking about crime.
So if we always talks about crime, then what do we expect the international media to think we are? Not crime infested.
Further, this is New Providence this murder is happening and not all The Bahamas. So, we need to stop trying to color the country like New Providence. New Providence has an issue.
John 8 months ago
Isn’t the Tribune’s file photo’ in complete contradiction to what the DPM is pushing back against? The fallout from the alleged rape crimes that occurred in Freeport? Secondly the alleged rape victims said THEY NEVER UTILIZED THE RAPE TEST KITS!!! Not at the resort , not the ones provided by EMS! Their claim is they NEVER used rape kits. Hence leaving doubt and no evidence that they were raped and by whom! At one point not sure if on at the resort or on the cruise ship because they were also trying to implicate Carnival Cruises in this matter, but apparently was told by the attorney who claims he makes a living suing companies like Carnival) the alleged rape victims said they were told to go to the rest room and use toilet paper to swab themselves, snitch they refused to do. So essentially they refused on at least THREE occasions to utilize rape kits or tests. Think they serious?
TalRussell 8 months ago
Is it not a worsening f * * kup, now that the office of the premiership's communication, botched its attempt to control the conversation on urgent matters of fear, which has left The Colony's popoulaces' to felt afraid of the The Boogeyouths' --- Yes?
John 8 months ago
How do you prove rape without evidence? How do you prove the persons accused of rape are the culprits if you refuse to give up DNA and possible sperm samples? Was it a matter of each one rape one or did the two men commit multiple rapes. How convenient to NOT have rape kit samples to confirm what really happened. These girls posted videos where they were falling down on each other and in the sea while bragging about the wonderful time they were having in The BaHAMAS, and admitting they really had too much to drink. And the nurse who claims she saw the women and they were definitely under the influence of drugs. How can you tell is a person got in terrible condition from drinking alcohol are using drugs or both? Did this ‘nurse if convince’ see the girls during their ‘world star’ performance bon top of the bar? This definitely explains the bruises and scratches they may have had. There is a lot of skepticism when someone is crying ‘Rape’ but refuses to take rape kit tests on at least three occasions. Tests that could not only confirm that a rape occurred, but also who the perpetrators are! But yet boldly take to social media and shamelessly attempt to advance their claims and try fleece the unsuspecting public of $10,000
CaptainCoon 8 months ago
The monkeys are back at it again!
SAD!
John 8 months ago
Some people seem to forget that The Bahamas also competes with Florida, New York, Texas California and other parts of the USA for tourism. And not to minimize the severity of this country having 25 murders in barely six weeks, one beach in Florida had thirteen shootings in one day during spring break last year, a tourist lost her life during a crime that was being done by a 15 y/o kid. And parishioners had to flee for their lives from Joel Ostens church as a female sniper enter the building with a long gun and a toddler in tow with the clear intention of taking lives. The point is crime is universal and serious crime including rape and murder, is increasing. When you fly American Airlines, they proudly announce that they are members of the tge One World Alliance, which is probably a group of airlines working in unison to provide the best and uninterrupted air service, not only in the United States but around the world. So maybe now it’s time for countries, like The Bahamas and the United States and others , to form an alliance to combat crime as partners rather than the finger pointing. Do you think it will be possible to get gun manufacturers and the countries these weapons are produced in to call a moratorium on guns, or, at least do like tge oil cartels do, and temporarily reduce the production of guns temporarily. As the (black) market becomes more saturated with weapons, tge cheaper they become and the more criminals have access to them. The Muslims say they discourage their members from having weapons in their homes, because once you have a weapon in your possession, the next desire is to use it. Government needs to start more aggressive anti- gun and anti crime campaigns if only in New Providence. And demand that more jobs and economic activities be given to Bahamians.
moncurcool 8 months ago
I think Finland may dispute your argument on availability of guns leading one to use it. It is a country where guns are available to all and they do not have an issue with incidents with guns.
And no alliance would stop the NRA from pushing guns.
A lot of this had to do with education. Look at the people in our country and realize who are the criminals.
We need systemic change in our country to deal with this crime issue, and it begins with putting a proper education system in place. All these Bail Acts changes are only cosmetic and will never solve the problem.
John 8 months ago
You know your post is absolute Bull dung right? Do you inow the education level of the average American ( Black, Hispanic or white ) is below that of the average Bahamian, right? And whilst i didn’t yet fact check your assertions on gun availability in Finland, I am certain the guns there are properly regulated and registered and not black market. So stop it! And if Trump wind expect a civil l war in the USA . NRA and Proud Boys is a joke
moncurcool 8 months ago
What is the bull?
You admit the issue of Finland. So the issue is not gun availability.
The issue is education. And you really believe the average Bahamian is educated better that the average American?
Come on. The average American is clueless in many aspects of world knowledge, I grant that.
But have you seen what we graduate (no, what we just pass out) in our schools? Have you taken the time to read what many of these students write on exams? How is in in a country we celebrate D as a passing mark, when even the average American sees a D as a failure.
One of the issues if we ever will fix this problem, is we have to tackle the education system of our country. Otherwise, we will continue this spiral.
SP 8 months ago
They can choose not to acknowledge the facts and continue playing stupid until the coming of Christ. This crime dilemma was created by the PLP and FNM decades of failed immigration policies that allowed blue collar expat workers to displace Bahamians for jobs and courting Haitians to populate the country!
Latrae Rahming elevator does not go all way to the top. "The government can't ensure there is no fallout on businesses,” BECAUSE excursion operators revealed there has already been very negative fall out with reduced sales to prove it!
“The prime minister speaking to a number of CEOs, including Baha Mar, Atlantis and a number of major players" is too little too late. The horse already left the barn and Davis just reach.
What the prime minister needs to be doing is focusing on dismantling Haitian gangs on our streets and in our schools, and training young Bahamians to take blue collar jobs back from Asians, and Latinos to stop the average Bahamians from "NEEDING TO JOIN GANGS TO SURVIVE"
How the hell is Davies going to convince people that the Bahamas is a safe place for both guests and visitors......As former PM Minnis himself exposed that just by him mentioning the government giving contracts to crooks has him afraid for his life on the floor of Parliament? Minnis confirms the government has been complicate with dealing with crooks and corruption so long that it is dangerously systemic. We all know about permeant secretaries, directors, etc, controlling lucrative government contracts for services they themselves know nothing about.
Mr Rahming said the government’s crime plan is focused on disrupting gangs....Lol..... The entire state of Florida with all of it's crime fighting agencies and multilayered gang fighting resources was no match for Haitian gangs. I have no faith whatsoever that the Bahamas crew of clowns will have any success with Haitian gangs.
This crime dilemma could "NEVER BE ADDRESSED" until the government finds the fortitude to acknowledge AND CORRECT their failed immigration policies that are the root causes of the problem.
John 8 months ago
The crime and gangs were created by the United Stated and its CIAs and DES agencies and ATF . So stop your lied. Don’t you even have an inkling if Shane in your corrupt body! Yes the crime and violence may continue until Christ comes but you will certainly be judged and found wanting!
TalRussell 8 months ago
Why, if we don't need nor like crime, has The Colony's. Nassau, become so constipated with serious crimes of murder, shooting, stabbing, rape and larceny. --- Yes?
John 8 months ago
Ok, OK , Ok !! Here’s the solution right here ok. So the cruise ships say The Bahamas and The Caribbean is unsafe for tourists, and whilst these cruise lines take in BILLIONS, the average native in these countries can hardly afford bread. So what if these countries, Bahamas, Jamaica Trinidad come together and say ‘ok we accept that our countries are unsafe to us, but safe to you and your passengers and your crew. So effective immediately we are enforcing a ban of ALL cruise ships to ALL ports in the The region to for thirty to sixty days Ok since the problem is a severe one, 90 days! Haiti included. And subsequent to this we ( these countries) will give priority only to those ships that show a genuine band legitimate interest in sharing the tourist and cruise ship revenue with the host countries. AND cruise ships and cruise lines that are found violating maritime laws, especially when it comes to dumping of sewerage and kitchen water, will not only face hefty fines , but be banned not only from the country where the violations occurred, but the entire Caribbean and Bahamas region for a specified period of time. And any cruise ship or cruise line portraying Bahamians and Caribbean people as untamed and violent savages to their passengers will be banned from the region for life. They can build as many ships as they like and build them as big as they like . But there is only one Caribbean and one Bahamas. Since these countries are barely benefiting from the millions of tourists that come to these countries by ship. The effects of the ban will not be as impactful as one may think. Share the economic pie or lose it!
John 8 months ago
Speaking of drugs: did you know the CIA used hookers ( prostitutes) to lace unsuspecting ‘John’s’ with LSD. The CIA claim they wanted to study the effects of LSD on humans and most of the victims of this experiment were unsuspecting AMERICAN college students.
John 8 months ago
Do you know if ALL illegal and black market AMERICAN guns and weapons were removed from the streets of The BaHAMAS and The Caribbean, they will be virtually NO ILLEGAL WEAPONS LEFT? And with no illegal weapons , gun violence will be reduced to ZERO! So stop listening to the most crime ridden country on the face of the earth. They want to cheapen the tourists product so these countries can’t benefit. It’s all about economics and control!
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