Crime has new government under the gun

Mon, May 21st 2012, 08:57 AM

The Perry Christie administration rode into power on the crest of a crime wave that no doubt played a huge part in wiping out the Ingraham administration at the polls on May 7.
Progressive Liberal Party election campaign billboards screamed that nearly 500 people had been murdered during the Free National Movement's (FNM) last five-year term.
While that shocking number may have been one of the final nails in the FNM's coffin, it just may haunt the new government that now has to grapple with the same unbridled street violence that grew between 2007 to early 2012.
Since May 7, 13 people have been killed, bringing the country's murder count to 57 for the year. As of May 20 last year there had been 48 homicides recorded, according to The Nassau Guardian's records.

'Critical' crime threat
Just over a week into the PLP's term, the United States released a candid report calling the crime threat level in New Providence "critical", and "high" in Grand Bahama. The report also noted that in prior years, crime was mostly a problem in the Over-the-Hill communities but recently criminal behavior had spilled out of the inner city and into other residential areas and tourist hotspots.
New Providence Island, in particular, has experienced a spike in crime that has adversely affected the traveling public," noted the U.S.' Bahamas 2012 Crime and Safety Report.
"Armed robberies, property theft, purse snatchings, and general theft of personal property remain the most common crimes against tourists. There has been a dramatic increase in general crimes in 2011.
"Residential security also remains a great concern as the number of incidents involving house burglaries and break-ins has also increased.
"Home break-ins, theft and robbery are not confined to any specific part of the island," said the report.
The report singled out Prince George Wharf, where many cruise ships dock, Cable Beach and downtown Nassau as areas where tourists are targeted.
The report also noted that while tourists are not the common targets for violent crimes they could end up as collateral damage in robberies and shootings that occur in busy areas.
The report also pointed to a sharp increase in murders and armed robberies.
"There were 127 homicides in The Bahamas in 2011, up from 94 in 2010, with nearly all the victims being Bahamian. This is a 35 percent increase from 2010," the document said.
According to the report, in late 2011, there were "numerous reports by cruise ship tourists and others regarding incidents of armed robberies of cash and jewelry. These incidents were reported during daylight and night time hours."
The report noted that the U.S. Embassy had received reports of assaults, including sexual assaults, in diverse areas such as casinos, outside hotels or on cruise ships. Many times the rape victims alleged that they were drugged, according to the report.
"The Bahamas has the highest incidence of reported rape in the world, according to a 2007 United Nations report on crime, violence, and development trends. The number of reported rapes increased 37 percent from 78 in 2010 to 107 in 2011."
Last year a similar report released by the U.S. said that The Bahamas' crime rate was "high" overall and did not place New Providence and Grand Bahama crime threat levels in separate categories.
The U.S. State Department's report on crime noted what Bahamians who have not had their heads buried in the sand have known for some time that crime is out of control and something must be done about it before more people lose their lives and their livelihoods.
But the question is what?
To be fair the crime trends mentioned in the report occurred under the Ingraham administration's watch; however, it is safe to say that the seeds for this type of behavior were sown decades ago. For five years while in opposition, the PLP hammered away at the then government for its inability to curb the rising murder count and keep Bahamians safe.
But an electorate hungry for change and tired of the daily news of bloodshed will not give the new administration a grace period to deal with the crime situation.

PLP under the gun
On May 10, Prime Minister Perry Christie promised to unleash the toughest assault on crime this country has ever seen. His comments came after two national security ministers -- substantive minister Dr. Bernard Nottage and junior minister Keith Bell -- took their oaths of office and were sworn in.
"This is no longer about winning votes," Christie said. "It's about stopping the slaughter on our streets and putting criminals behind bars... We are in a crisis that calls for immediate, resolute and sustained action."
There is a lot of pressure riding on Christie's national security minister. Nottage spent his years in Opposition chairing a crime council and using the floor of Parliament to shed light on the crime problem.
Bell is a lawyer and former police superintendent, who undoubtedly brings a wealth of experience and perspective on the issue.
Last week, Nottage said getting the country's murder count on a downward trend is the mission of his ministry, an accomplishment that eluded his predecessor Tommy Turnquest.
"We must reduce, for example, the number of murders," Nottage told reporters last week. "We cannot carry on like this. There are far too many guns in this country. We must find them. We must find the perpetrators and we must put them behind bars. We must destroy the weapons (and) the drugs. To be realistic it is necessary. We must get control of it and we must get control of it now. "
There is a well-known story about King Canute, a former ruler of England, who once supposedly commanded the tide to stop coming into the seashore only to be shocked by the tide's disobedience. As the story goes, Canute was a ruler who was praised and flattered by all men. Filled with arrogance, one day he set his throne on the seashore and ordered the tide not to roll in. Despite his ardent commands the tide continued to lap onto the shore and wet the king's throne and robes.
I mention this story because a politician or government has no more control over criminal behavior than King Canute had over the ebb and flow of the tide that follows its own rules.
However, a good administration can create tough crime legislation, ensure that the judicial system works efficiently to prosecute offenders and give victims justice, sweep guns off the streets, order police to beef up patrols and put in place systematic intelligence operations to infiltrate gang and drug operations.
A responsible government can create lasting social programs and outreach systems to target people who are more susceptible to criminal behavior.
The PLP has laid out its crime fighting strategy in its Vision 2030 charter for governance. Within its first 100 days in office, the new administration plans to launch "key elements" of its crime fighting strategies: Project Safe Bahamas, Operation Cease Fire and Urban Renewal.
The PLP also plans to reintroduce school policing and unveil a new initiative that involves sending young men with street credibility into the inner city to intervene in the lives of at-risk youth. Project Safe Bahamas and Urban Renewal will be released in about two weeks, the PLP has said.
What impact these plans will have on crime is yet to be seen but even Nottage knows the results will not be felt immediately.
"We are, like the prime minister said, in a crisis," Dr. Nottage said shortly after he was sworn in as national security minister. "But we are fooling ourselves if we think because we became the government it's going to change overnight. It's not. We're going to be very aggressive though, and over the course of the next month or so you'll see us introducing a number of new strategies, some of which were not detailed during our election campaign."

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