Pointing to escalating violence in the region and at home, Prime Minister Philip Davis yesterday urged Caribbean leaders to act with haste to find impactful solutions to beat back the wave of crime or face continued murders and an erosion in economic prospects.

"The need to reduce violent crime has never been more urgent," said Davis at a CARICOM Summit on Crime in Trinidad and Tobago.

"Each year, hundreds of lives are at stake and many more affected by the resulting trauma. This moment of crisis for our region requires a collective response.

"The impact of violence goes beyond personal loss, as terrible as that is. High levels of sustained violence undermine investor confidence in the region, scare visitors away from tourism-dependent economies, and place a strain on healthcare, educational, and social support systems.

"If we do not act decisively, our economic prospects will be further eroded by this ongoing wave of violence."

The prime minister noted that the Caribbean region is gripped by an epidemic of violence that claims lives and generates fear and anger.

"In 2022, Jamaica had a staggering homicide rate of 52.9 per 100,000 inhabitants, Trinidad and Tobago had a rate of 39.4 per 100,000, and The Bahamas, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines all recorded homicide rates above 30 per 100,000," Davis said.

"This is over five times the global average.

"Millions of people throughout the region live in crime hotspots, never knowing if they will be a victim on any given day. In The Bahamas, I have sought to bring comfort to mothers and their families who have lost their sons and daughters. I know many of you have done the same for your people.

"Violence spreads like a virus, gaining momentum as one violent crime begets another."

In 2022, crimes against the person in The Bahamas increased by 23 percent, driven by a rise in murders, sex crimes and armed robberies.

There were 128 murders last year, compared to 119 in 2021, an eight percent increase. Guns were used in the majority of murders and armed robberies, Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander said.

Armed robberies were up 34 percent over 2021.

There have been 35 murders so far this year, according to Fernander. The latest was on Abaco. Police said a 36-year-old man was shot to death at a business in Marsh Harbour.

The prime minister said there is a greater need to understand crime in the community, develop more responsive interventions, and allocate resources to address the social and economic causes of violence.

"Violence may be occurring in our communities, but the guns used in approximately 70 percent of violent crimes do not originate in our countries," he said.

"We do not manufacture guns in the Caribbean. Every gun used to commit a crime in the Caribbean is smuggled into our countries.

"In The Bahamas, 98.6 percent of all recovered illegal firearms can be traced to the US. In Haiti, 87.7 percent of all recovered firearms can be traced to the US. In Jamaica, it amounts to 67 percent of all recovered firearms and 52 percent in Trinidad and Tobago.

"We have asked the US government and US-based gun manufacturers to cooperate with CARICOM member states when it comes to identifying weapons purchased in the US, as a part of a wider effort to hold weapons dealers and traffickers accountable for the many lives lost to gun violence each year. We must call on our neighbors to the north to better police the trafficking of guns from the US to the Caribbean.

Last month, Davis announced that The Bahamas joined a friend of the court brief in the US Court of Appeal in the First Circuit in support of Mexico, which is appealing its case to hold US gun manufacturers liable for the harm caused by their products.

Davis said yesterday, "We intend to challenge the laws that previously protected gun manufacturers from lawsuits.

"We are sending a clear message to the world that we are very serious about fighting gun violence on all fronts, not just the home front."

Three US congressmen have asked the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a review into the illegal trafficking of firearms from the US to the Caribbean. They pointed to concerns raised by Davis over the number of guns used in crime in The Bahamas.

Davis told CARICOM leaders that they must "mobilize resources with the same determination we would bring to fighting any other life-threatening epidemic".

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