TIGblogs TIG | TIGblogs GROUP TIGBLOGS LOGIN SIGNUP
Bahamas Blog International
Bahamas Blog International
Bahamas Record-breaking Murder Rate Directly Linked To Illegal Firearms
Related to country: Bahamas

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Murder rate linked to illegal guns:
By KRYSTEL ROLLE and INDERIA SAUNDERS, Guardian Staff Reporters -
Nassau, Bahamas:



The sale of illegal firearms on the nation's streets has been directly linked to the record-breaking murder count of 2007, a senior police officer revealed yesterday.

Superintendent Glen Miller, officer in charge of the Central Detective Unit, said there is definitely a correlation between the proliferation of firearms and last year's high murder count, as statistics show that more than half of the murders were committed using guns.

"We've seen that in 40 of these murders a handgun was used, and seven used shotguns. So we're talking about 47 matters with firearms alone. That certainly is an indication that the illegal guns are being used to commit serious crimes such as murder."

Last year approximately 59 percent of the murders were committed with guns listed as the weapon of choice. The Guardian's records also showed that 47 of the 79 murders recorded in 2007 involved gun use. Most of the victims were gunned down, while a few incidents were simply armed robberies gone bad. The last murder, which ended the life of Police Constable Ramos Williams, rocked the police force and the nation, as criminals seemed to have lost all respect for the law. Williams was shot down while performing a random search operation.

Last year proved to be the most deadly, with nearly 80 murders and five unclassified deaths recorded.

All across the region illegal gun use has been wreaking havoc and The Bahamas has been no exception. Even as police officers struggle to get a grip on crime, illegal firearms are being shipped and smuggled into the country. Nations like Jamaica and Trinidad have both recorded high murder rates, with Trinidad recording six homicides just two days into the new year. All of those deaths have been attributed to gun use.

The newest gun shipment trend is the "underground passage" through the violent, impoverished country of Haiti. Police officials told The Guardian yesterday that high-powered weapons are being brought in on the Haitian sloops, which for the most part dock in the harbor undetected. Illegal drugs are also being smuggled into the country via the Haitian sloops, a former police officer said.

So far from January to December in 2007, a total of 221 firearms have been recovered, 127 in New Providence and 94 in Grand Bahama. There were 4,685 bullets recovered, with 74 percent seized in New Providence and Grand Bahama accounting for the rest.

Of the confiscated firearms there were 16 revolvers, 138 pistols , 38 shotguns, 13 rifles, seven prohibited weapons and nine imitation handguns.

A staggering 95 percent of the guns confiscated off the street in 2007 were illegal, Superintendent Miller revealed yesterday. The police are currently focusing on intelligence and collaborating with international agencies like the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, in an effort to stem the flow of illegal arms.

He said the majority of the guns taken on the streets came from North America as freight on commercial flights and through shipping companies.

"In most instances we found Bahamians are bringing them in," he reported.

Meanwhile, Miller said, the police have not recorded many cases of firearms brought in from Haiti.

According to The Trinidad Guardian, police believe that the guns in their country were coming from South America, specifically Venezuela. Their acting Deputy Commissioner Gilbert Reyes reportedly admitted that criminals in Trinidad and Tobago can obtain guns very easily. He also attributed the rise in crime to the rise in the proliferation of guns.

Meanwhile, in Jamaica, the Prime Minister reportedly said Jamaica and Haiti must forge a partnership to stem the illegal trade of high-powered weapons, which was identified as a contributing factor to the soaring murder rate.

According to the Jamaica Gleaner, more than 125,000 weapons were destroyed in a smelting operation, an effort launched by the government to rid the country of illegal arms. Some of the guns were compiled since the 1950's, however in 2007, 630 guns were seized.

One of the suggested deterrents to gun use for The Bahamas was to reinstate the amnesty law, which allowed persons to bring in illegal firearms without penalty. However, Bishop Simeon Hall, who is the chairman of the Crime Council, said that that idea was not one he would support. Bishop Hall, who was not speaking on behalf of the council, said that that approach would make criminals believe that the government is "soft".

"The criminals seem to have less fear of the law than law-abiders have of the criminals and we need that to change. Any law that would seem like we are being soft is one that I would not agree with," he said via a telephone interview yesterday.

Bishop Hall said anyone carrying an illegal firearm or engaging in any illegal activity is committing an act of treason and is an affront to national sovereignty. He added that he had no sympathy for them.

"I'm hearing that some foreign persons are coming to The Bahamas illegally and they are a part of the gun trade. Any person who comes into The Bahamas illegally and brings guns and drugs, that's obviously a person who wants to commit a crime. You're already breaking the law then you come in, and you want to come in with guns that can harm people! It's not illegal gun trafficking, I'm calling it an act of treason to destabilize the country," he continued.

January 4, 2008 | 6:32 PM Comments  0 comments

You must be logged in to add tags.


Dennis Dames's Profile


Latest Posts
Meatless Mondays: Do...
Regional integration...
Call for unity as the...
Slow Down: How Our...
The situation in Honduras

Monthly Archive
December 1969
October 2005
November 2005
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2007
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
December 2008
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009

Change Language


Tags Archive
america american bahamas bahamians bush caribbean crime cuba development economic enfusion engagement global health ict4d individualeconomy international investment networkbuiding obama organisationalchange people personaldevelopment political president socialentrepreneurship trade war world

Links
A+ Links Int'l
Bahamas Blog
Bahamas Dames
Bahamas Hotels
Bahamas Search
Bahamian WebRing
Blog Directory
Blogadr
BlogExplosion
Cheap Int'l Calling Cards
Crooks Blog
Dating Network
Free Paid Web Directory
LS Blogs
Politics Blogs
Top 100 Women Websites
Top Web Blogs
Vote For Me


695842 views
Important Disclaimer