NASSAU – Prime Minister Phillip Davis says crime figures in the country are “moving in the right direction” and that he is pleased “we are breaking the back of crime in The Bahamas”.
Prime Minister praised the work of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF), noting that homicides are down 26 per cent, armed robberies are down 39 per cent, while housebreakings have been cut nearly in half.
“Overall major crime across this country is down 15 per cent. Those are the official figures from the Royal Bahamas Police Force. We are breaking the back of crime in The Bahamas.”
Davis said that the situation had improved because the government had put funds and resources into getting the crime situation down.
He said 787 new police officers are now on the streets, and more than a 1 000 CCTV cameras deployed.
“New bail reform and anti-gang legislation, 366 illegal firearms seized in a single year. Over 260 new Defence Force marines, new patrol vessels, and new technology to protect our borders. And new rehabilitative programmes in our correctional facility to reduce reoffending and give people a second chance.
“We brought everyone to the table. The church, Civil society, Community organisations. Every arm of government. Because no government fights crime alone. It takes a whole country.
And we invested in the next generation. The National Youth Guard has graduated over 400 young Bahamians with discipline, skills, and purpose. Because the most powerful thing we can do to fight crime is give a young person a future.”
But while he was pleased with the current situation, Prime Minister Davis said he wanted to address “those who think they can continue to terrorise our communities.
“We are coming for you. We have more officers on the streets than ever before. We have cameras watching. We have ShotSpotter listening. We have intelligence working around the clock. And we have a 65 percent murder clearance rate, which means if you take a life in this country, the chances are we will find you and you will face justice.
“Every illegal firearm you carry, we will seize. Every criminal network you build, we will dismantle. Every community you try to hold hostage, we will take back. That is not a threat. That is a promise from this government to the Bahamian people.”
Prime Minister Davis said that the days of criminals “operating with impunity in The Bahamas are coming to an end” and that he “will not rest until every Bahamian, in every community, in every island of this country, can walk their streets without fear.
“I am not here to take a victory lap. There are families who have lost loved ones. There are Bahamians who still do not feel safe. I carry that with me every day. We still have work to do.
But for the first time, the direction is right. Real progress is underway. And we are going to build on it. Not rest on it. Build on it.
“We are breaking the back of crime, and we will not let anyone break what we are building,” he told the law enforcement officials. (CMC)
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