Former Free National Movement (FNM) Deputy Chairman Dr. Duane Sands has presented a package of recommendations to address crime in The Bahamas.

Key among the recommendations are state-approved abortions, family planning and contraceptive services; making the penalty for statutory rape automatic; decriminalizing possession of less than a half ounce of marijuana; 24-hour policing in particular crime hot spots; empowering the police and defense forces to retain 33 to 50 percent of the proceeds for certain traffic and other violations and making all crime statistics available to the public, inclusive of police, accident and emergency, and court data.

As it stands, abortion in The Bahamas is illegal, except if it is recommended by a physician to preserve the mental and physical health of a woman or to save the life of the mother.

Sands, who appeared as a guest on the Guardian Radio 96.9 FM talk show ‘The Revolution’ with host, Juan McCartney, said abortions take place every day and are readily available. He said while abortion should be a last resort, there is a bigger problem of unplanned children being abandoned and neglected which is contributing to the crime problem. He said he expects push back, but the conversation must be had.

Sands said society’s denial about the extent of the crime problem because “the picture is so ugly” is part of the problem.

“We do not want to accept the reality of life in The Bahamas because the picture is so ugly, it tells such a horrible tale it is difficult for us to resolve that this is us,” Sands said.

“And so, we like the sanitized version; that ‘well it is only 114 murders, and most of these people are known to the police, and most of these [people] are criminals’ and so on and so forth.

“I think we do that at our own peril.”

Sands said there must be a “harmonization” of statistics across the board, again pointing to discrepancies between police statistics and those compiled by health officials.

“We know, certainly if you restrict it to the Princess Margaret Hospital alone, but you can add the Rand [Memorial] and Doctors Hospital; in The Bahamas, at least 300 people get shot per year,” he said.

In January 2015, Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade reported that there were 22 incidents of attempted murder for 2014. Police recorded 123 murders. There were three incidents of manslaughter.

“How can you have that discrepancy?” Sands asked.

“What are those gun shots that neither make the classification of murder because the person did not die and they do not classify as attempted murder? Are they grievous harm?

“There is a need for clarity and harmonization of the various statistics.”

In February 2014, there was widespread concern about the consistency of crime reporting for 2013 after it was revealed that Princess Margaret Hospital's records showed that more people were treated for injuries than the number of shootings and rapes listed in the police statistics.

Sands said while he may be criticized for his comments, having spent his time “fixing holes in people, put there by bullets and knives” he will continue to put himself forward and sacrifice for country. He also questioned why the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s website is updated with daily crime reports, but national crime statistics are only available up to 2013.

Insisting that crime is the biggest challenge facing The Bahamas, Sands said every single man, woman and child has to be involved in this battle.

Sands said the shootings, stabbings and gangs are symptoms of underlying problems — absentee father syndrome, destruction of the family and women having and using children to get benefits from men, which must be addressed.

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