Senator Dr. Duane Sands said yesterday that the high murder count does not tell the "true story" of the crime situation in The Bahamas, and projected that the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) will treat a total of 250 gunshot victims this year. "We have not been surprised by the increase in the number of murder cases per year," said Dr. Sands yesterday as he contributed to debate on the 2011/2012 budget in the Senate. Sands is a trauma surgeon and director of emergency services at PMH. "Quite frankly, the murder count underestimates the brutality, the hostility and the anger being expressed on our streets. "Were it not for the efforts of the Emergency Medical Services staff, Accident and Emergency Services, Surgical, Anesthetic and ICU services, the count would be much, much higher.  For every death from violent trauma, there are more than 20 persons assaulted.  For every death from a gunshot, there are almost four who are more fortunate." The murder count reached 60 on Saturday night when a woman in Grand Bahama was shot in the head. Last year, at this time 40 murders had been recorded.  In 2010, a record 94 murders were recorded in the country. "The murder count tells very little of the true story. It is a raw statistic that fails to fully capture the pain, rage, anger, jealousy, misunderstanding or other emotions that lead to violent altercations," Dr. Sands said. "Whatever the number of murders, the truth is that we now live in a society where disputes are now more likely to be settled with bullets from powerful firearms, where weapons are used more often than not and fistfights are certainly no longer common." Dr. Sands said all Bahamians are responsible for the pace of violence in the nation.  He said too many crimes both big and small have been ignored. "At the same time, we allowed our judicial system to become ineffective in the administration of justice," he said. "Too few justices, too few courts, an overburdened, understaffed and under-equipped attorney general's office. "We have allowed defense attorneys to game the system with countless adjournments and delays while claiming concern for rights of the accused. "We have not done the best job in the protection of witnesses so some have been harassed and some killed.  Murderers, violent offenders and other criminals understand that the system is badly in need of repair and use that to their advantage." Dr. Sands said the murder count will continue to climb until Bahamians acknowledge that everyone has contributed to crime. He said the response must now be deliberate, considered and effective. "We must now mean it when we talk about zero tolerance," Dr. Sands said. "And it has to be a personal decision and change in behavior of each and every Bahamian, not just the job of the commissioner of police, attorney general, chief justice or minister of national security." Despite the criminality, Dr. Sands said the government has made substantial progress to strength the country's capacity to deter, detect and prosecute criminals. He pointed to the implementation of closed circuit television, electronic monitoring, the establishment of the gun court and the increased resources given to the police, among other things. Dr. Sands called on Bahamians to band together to address crime. "We stand at a moment in our nation's history when we must choose whether to wander along passively as our country descends deeper into violent anarchy or to stand firmly against the status quo and chart a bold new course to a better place for our children. "I believe that only one of these options is tenable. "There are no quick fixes or easy solutions.  There are no surrogates that can carry my load or yours.  As Gandhi said 'we must be the change we wish to see in the world.'  History will tell whether we are really serious."

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