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Bahamians Address Bahamas Crime Problem
Related to country: Bahamas

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Society speaks out on crime PROBLEM:
Lack of faith, leadership highlighted as contributing factors -
By KRYSTEL ROLLE, Guardian Staff Reporter:
Nassau, Bahamas -


When the murder rate rose to 74 on Wednesday, it probably did not come as a surprise to many. Since the beginning of the year, when the first murder was committed, it was clear that crime was becoming a major problem in The Bahamas.

Patrick Rolle was gunned down early New Year's morning on his way home from Junkanoo. After that many others have lost their lives to crime -- most recently with the murder of 35-year-old Ryan Neil Wood, who was gunned down during a brazen drive-by shooting shortly after 2 p.m. in Grand Bahama.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of National Security announced the appointment of what some have described to be a "desperately needed" National Advisory Council on Crime (NACC).

Yesterday Council member Carlos Reid, a gang member turned activist, said the reason he believed crime is so rampant is because people lack hope and are taking the law into their own hands.

While he touched on a variety of issues, his main concern was the lack of faith in the society.

"People don't trust in the system so they create the law. And if we want to change that then we have to have our people believe in the system," he said while appearing as a guest on talk show Issues of the Day.

He explained that young men are sometimes unnecessarily harassed by law officials and because of that, when someone commits an offense on their person, they refuse to turn to the persons that they consider to be a part of the problem -- and they take the law into their own hands.

Reid said many police officers are not trained in how to deal with the citizens of The Bahamas.

The 11-person National Advisory Council on Crime team includes: Senior Pastor of New Covenant Baptist Church Bishop Simeon Hall; director of Educulture Bahamas, Arlene Nash-Ferguson; director of Campus Life at COB, Vicente Roberts; director of IBM Bahamas Ltd., Felix Stubbs; director of Youth Against Violence, Carlos Reid; Senior Pastor of Kemp Road Ministries, Rev. Ivan Butler; executive director of the Bahamas Hotels Association, Frank Comito; president of COB's union of students, Anastacia Huyler ; psychiatrist of Sandilands Rehabilitation Center, Dr. Michael Neville; representative of victims and families of crime victims, Maria Scott and Chief Superintendent Hulan Hanna who will represent the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

According to Reid, justice needs to be administered fairly. He added that too many people are calling for answers but many of them are not prepared to help find the solution.

"Everyone is crying out about what is wrong with our young people, but nothing is wrong with them, they are just trying to navigate through life," he said.

Reid said that every Bahamian has contributed to the crime problem and that it would not go away until people take a "doctor's approach to it".

"We need to tackle the cause and stop putting Band-Aids on our problems," he added.

Meanwhile, Father Sebastian Campbell said all the country needs is some good leaders.

"We've been slipping spiritually and morally and no one seemed to care. We need to assess where we are and try to make amends. One concern as I see it right now is that we lack leadership in this country, leadership at every level. We lament the fact of gangs in this country but gangs are here to fill a vacuum for which we are responsible. In days gone by we had gangs as well but they were positive gangs like the Boys Brigade, the Girls Brigade, we had Brownies, and marching bands and youth groups."

"These things didn't happen by chance, we had young professionals and business people who were out there leading and causing things to happen for our young people. But right now there is sense of selfishness in this country. Many of our young people come back home and all they are interested in is making money. We're not giving back to society in the proportions to which society has given to us. And so what do we have as a result - all these positive gangs that I have named are either gone or are gasping for breath," he continued.

He said the young people -- who are among those who commit most of the crimes and form the fringe groups in society -- are crying out for leadership and so they develop their own leaders from their own peers, who end up being gang leaders.

"Yes we can lament and maybe hanging persons may be part of the solution as I believe but it is not the be all and the end all. We have to address our social problems as it has been done in the times past where we didn't have 74 persons murdered because we had persons leading our country."

Psychiatrist Dr. David Allen said people are traumatized and called for healing in the nation.

"They are hurting right now. And I'm not going to stand up and accept the status quo. As a nation we have to do something," Dr. Allen said.

Superintendent Stephen Dean who is the officer in charge of the Southwestern District announced that seven crime watch groups were commissioned last night in an effort to stamp out crime in a number of communities.

He said the move symbolized that the communities are committed and serious about partnering with the police.

"We realize that the police cannot fight crime alone and we believe that the most powerful tool in the fight is getting the community partners involved and letting them take the lead in their respective communities."

He said that based upon the neighborhood community policing plan, he believed that that initiative was the way forward and that you will see the results in the months and years to come.

December 7, 2007 | 6:30 PM Comments  0 comments

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