The government intends to resume its crackdown on shantytowns in The Bahamas, beginning with the Gamble Heights community, according to Minister of the Environment Kenred Dorsett.

In an interview with The Nassau Guardian, Dorsett said the relevant ministries have begun to renew notices for residents living in illegal communities to vacate the premises. He said the government first served notices on residents in Gamble Heights in 2014. He admitted that budgetary constraints in the 2014/2015 budget prevented the relevant ministries from continuing the operation.

“Sadly we had the recent incident that took place there, but it is a matter that we are, as I indicated in my budget communication, we have made provisions in this year’s budget to address that particular area,” Dorsett said.

Last month, the community in southern New Providence was the site of a police shooting. Police shot and killed a man, who was wanted in connection with assault, after he became violent with them, police said. The scene turned hostile as angered residents threw large rocks into the windshield of a police car and the front passenger window of another police car.

“I believe that notices are now being renewed just to make sure that the legal process is taken care of, but also we will be moving in as we have done in other instances with the Department of Social Services and other agencies to ensure that whatever is done is not only lawful but, more importantly, humane. We know that under the Millennium Development Goals, The Bahamas became a signatory, as have many other countries to eradicate slum communities.

“We really see this as not just the removal of slum communities, but assisting our people in being able to get proper, lawful [accommodations].”

Dorsett first announced the government’s intention to crack down on shantytowns in The Bahamas in the House of Assembly in June 2013. At the time, Dorsett said there will be consequences for people who live in such areas if they are not operating within the law. The announcement followed a report on shantytowns revealed by The Nassau Guardian the month before.

The report, titled “Haitian shanty village locations in New Providence”, indicated there were at least 15 Haitian shanty villages on the island.

Researchers found that there is a “marked indifference to the extremely unhealthy conditions by those that occupy shanties”. Government officials have long said that many of the shantytowns are on private land, but the landowners have largely remained nameless, even as the government threatened prosecution.

In September 2014, the vast majority of people living in the shantytown off Sir Milo Butler Highway relocated after their homes were demolished as part of the government’s effort to crack down on these illegal communities. The government demolished homes in several more illegal communities on New Providence, including areas in Sea Breeze Lane, Carmichael Road, Joe Farrington Road, Pride Estates III, among others.