Paradise Island is cracking down on crime among its employees and explaining that unethical behavior is impacting revenue goals and bonus payouts.
Atlantis, the largest private sector employer in the country, has reported losses of at least $225,000 in 2012 due to a series of scams perpetrated by workers. According to an internal publication at the mega resort, a scam involving water accounts at Ocean Club Estates cost the company in excess of $50,000. A "wrist band scandal", whereby Discovery Atlantis passes were being sold to taxi cab drivers under the table, was estimated to cost upwards of $75,000. The mega resort also took a $100,000 hit from a medical scam where line staff and managers were found to have cheated Atlantis, the hospital, national insurance and the union.
Meanwhile, Paradise Island made international headlines last year after workers attempted to rob the casino's main cashier cage.
Crime dominated the entire front page of the resort's recent internal newspaper.
Atlantis is attempting a "new approach" with its P.S.S.T. Initiative (Prevent, Stop, Save, Talk), whereby workers are encouraged to actively participate in the fight against company theft.
"We are very tough on crime," Markantonis told Guardian Business yesterday. "We have a lot of investigations ongoing. We know the loopholes and won't hesitate to take people to court and charge them, or just terminate them if there is evidence they are defrauding the company or have engaged in criminal acts."
The top executive said the resort is highlighting the fact that crime hurts everyone's pocket book. Bonuses are based on overall revenue, and according to the internal publication, crime in 2012 nearly impacted its targets.
Turning to the issue of crime at large, Markantonis said all Bahamians must realize that security is not just police business. It only takes one incident to permanently impact the country's primary source of income.
The concern is being echoed by the Ministry of Tourism.
Obie Wilchcombe, the minister of tourism, said yesterday that the government is poised to launch a "domestic campaign" educating Bahamians on the impact of crime on the economy.
"This is a serious campaign talking to our people. With discipline and understanding we can take the arms out of our hands and use the same arms to embrace people," he said. "It will promote the greater role people have to play in tourism and encourage better service."
The senior government official went so far as to suggest The Bahamas is "getting killed" in its levels of service.
The domestic campaign will hit radio television and newspapers by the start of next week.
The push against crime follows a recent advisory by the U.S. Embassy warning Americans about a rise in armed robberies in the country. Prime Minister Perry Christie noted at the Caribbean Travel Marketplace tourism conference last month that crime is the biggest threat to Caribbean tourism.
"The combination of travel advisories against certain destinations, coupled with media publicity in the major markets discouraging tourism travel to certain destinations, is a trend that is bound to not only continue, but to accelerate and widen unless we manage to bring criminal activity down, way down, in our respective countries across the region," Christie said.

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