While he commended the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) for a reported 18 percent decrease in crime overall for 2014, Free National Movement (FNM) Deputy Leader and Central Grand Bahama MP Peter Turnquest said he is not surprised murders increased 100 percent on Grand Bahama.

"Grand Bahama is still experiencing tremendous economic hardship and with that comes desperation among some sectors of the population," Turnquest told The Nassau Guardian in a recent interview. So, it is not surprising that there is an increase in [that category] of crime. We have to do something about the root causes, which is to provide jobs and opportunities for people. And again, our overall policing plan, we need to have a look and make sure the problems that we have here in New Providence are not transferred to the other islands."

The latest Labour Force survey, which has a reference period of October 27 to November 2, 2014, shows that both New Providence and Grand Bahama saw increases in unemployment. The crime statistics presented by Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade last week showed that 10 people were murdered on Grand Bahama in 2014, compared to the five people murdered on that island in the previous year. The family island also recorded an increase in murders in 2014 over 2013. Five people were murdered on the Family Islands in 2014, up from the two people murdered in 2013, representing a 150 percent increase.

Despite the overall reported decrease in crime, Turnquest said Bahamians do not feel safer.

"I doubt it very seriously because we know that the level of crime is still very much unacceptable," he said. "We have a lot of work to do. The government's programs with respect to Urban Renewal and how this is supposed to be affecting the small man is still not working. We still have levels of poverty that are unacceptable and so, if you asked the average Bahamian today, they would tell you they feel no more safe today than they did yesterday."

While Greenslade indicated that his 2015 Commissioner's Policing Plan is similar to the previous plan due to the "exceptionally good results of certain initiatives", Turnquest insisted more must be done. Some of these priorities include the prevention and detection of crime, reducing the fear of crime, restoring and maintaining public trust, working with young people and protecting the tourism industry.

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