Police Question UN Report On Crime In Caribbean:
By Vanessa C. Rolle -
Nassau, Bahamas:

Local police are analyzing a recently released United Nations/World Bank report that says the murder rate in the Caribbean is higher than any other region in the world.

In an interview with The Bahama Journal on Tuesday, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Elliston Greenslade said, "I don’t particularly like what I am hearing and what I am reading in that regard."

The report states that the average murder rate for the Caribbean – 30 per population of 100,000 – is higher than any other region of the world and has increased in recent years in many countries within the region.

The UN report continued that murder rates are 34 percent higher and robbery rates are 26 percent higher than countries with the comparable macroeconomic conditions.

These types of crimes are higher in countries with lower economic growth while murder rates are higher in poor countries and communities that have large populations of young men, according to the report.

"But these factors alone cannot explain the high rates of crime in the Caribbean," the report indicates.

"Through multiple channels, crime and violence inflict widespread costs, generating a climate of fear for all citizens, and diminishing economic growth. Crime and violence present one of the paramount challenges to development in the Caribbean."

Mr. Greenslade confirmed that the police have a copy of the UN/World Bank report.

"I have asked my people to look at the source of the information. Certainly we have the World Bank Report that we are doing an analysis on at the moment. We are having a proper look at it and will certainly determine the methodology used to derive at those figures," he said.

"I am not castigating anyone and I am not saying anything to the contrary. I am just saying that when these general statements are made, I am concerned as a Bahamian, certainly as to the source of the information. I don’t know where that information was derived from.

"When you’re looking at statistics, you can make numbers do all kinds of things for you if you’re not careful. It depends on how you are grouping numbers."

The UN/World Bank report continued that assault rates in the Caribbean – based on those reported to the police – are also significantly "above the world average."

"If I were to look at a common assault, someone pushes someone; someone slaps someone; that is an assault. One might determine that that is violence; yes, that is violence," Mr. Greenslade said.

"But you certainly wouldn’t look at a common assault in the same way that you would look at a situation where someone takes a knife and stabs someone and causes a serious injury, or if someone takes a gun and shoots someone – the person doesn’t die but is seriously injured. The scale of violence is different. But if I were to take every common assault and I group it, then of course, I am going to give it a higher number," he said.

When applied against the population at a per capita rate, he said the numbers are bound to startle the public.

"You would think we are killing each other everywhere and that is not in fact so. And I say that emphatically – that is not what is happening in this country," Mr. Greenslade said.

The report also stated that the reported rates of crime are highly sensitive to the level of trust in the local police in general and the willingness to report domestic violence, in particular.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Greenslade said that in order for the members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force to enjoy the trust of the public, they must always demonstrate that "everything is above board, and they are coming to equity with clean hands.

He said this means, "we are honest, and our integrity is in tact and that we are indeed credible. As long as we deliver the services that the public expects of us and we do it a very fair and firm fashion, I believe certainly we will enjoy the confidence and the trust of the public."

"It is a constant struggle," Mr. Greenslade said. "Officers are going to be on the front line if they are working and the more they press forward aggressively to resolve crime issues the more potential exists for confrontations between the everyday citizen and people in uniform – not just law enforcement people in general.

"So we impress upon our officers to always deliver care, respect and trust. That is to be firm and resolute in their dealings but to also be respectful to members of the public."

He said the police must let their credibility speak for them in the eyes of the public, "and people will talk to you. That has always been my view. I believe it does work."

The UN/World Bank report also noted that from the drug trafficking industry, which is common in all Caribbean countries, has spawned another industry "guns for hire".

The report described such persons as "addicts who need to commit crimes to support their habit and hence perpetrate more violent crimes". This, continues the report, has spun off from another criminal industry – "contract murders".

"Despite their diversity, one thing that all Caribbean countries have in common is that they have long been caught in the crossfire of international drug trafficking. The good news is that the flow of drugs through the region may be decreasing," the report said, adding that the transshipment of cocaine to the United States appears to be in decline.

However, it added that even though it might appear to be on a decline, large quantities of drugs continue to transit the Caribbean.

Mr. Greenslade said, "I don’t want to speculate and I don’t want to make a statement in that regard except to say that we continue to work hard hear in The Bahamas. We continue to co-operate with our regional partners and international partners and international partners to ensure that there is a united front in the fight against drug trafficking and certainly its usage in our country, and certainly in the region."

The report said that several factors which heighten the vulnerability to crime and violence of Caribbean countries is their vulnerability to drug trafficking – with the world’s source of cocaine to the south and primary consumer markets to the north.

To make things even more difficult, the report added, many Caribbean countries have weak criminal justice systems that are easily overwhelmed.

23 May 2007