NASSAU, BAHAMAS– As Arawak Cay and the Long Wharf Beach is a popular location for cooler fetes, beach parties, cookouts and other events, many have expressed the need for more police presence in this area to settle disputes when they happen.
A number of violent brawls and have erupted at Arawak Cay in recent weeks as well as a stabbing incident.
This past weekend, a violent fight between a male and female made the rounds on social media, which was reported to have happen at an event held at Long Wharf Beach near Arawak Cay.
On Monday, Paul Willie, the Manager of Arawak Cay said while the beach is a distance away from eateries, certain events held on the beach have given the entire location a bad name.
“Those events are not events at Arawak Cay,” Willie explained. “They are private events where vendors lease the beach from the Beaches and Parks Association.”
Willie told Eyewitness News Online that the Beaches and Parks Association has no involvement in Arawak Cay, but Arawak Cay is carrying the name for all of the events that are held in the area and this is wrong.
“We need to set the record straight on this, simply because everyone believes the entire strip is Arawak Cay,” Willie said.
The Arawak Cay manager said that the Beaches and Parks Association should consider putting a stop to hosting events on Arawak Cay Beach in the night and the Association should also make more of an effort to vet the events that are being held.
Willie continued, “What these events are doing is giving us a bad reputation on the western side of Arawak Cay. They need to involve us in their activities when they are going to lease these places out and get our input.”
While there has also been a call for additional police at such events, Minister of National Security Marvin Dames said it is impossible for police officers to tackle every altercation but the commissioner of police has put manpower in place.
“He would’ve assigned a vehicle to Arawak Cay as well as at Potter’s Cay Dock, but they have been able to control a lot of the issues there,” Dames said.
An Arawak Cay vendor told Eyewitness News that she believes that the violence at these events have had a negative impact on visitors, but these events have also allowed these stalls to make a profit.
“It doesn’t affect us cause at the end of the day, they do not happen in the front of our stalls, but when you see them have events here we make a lot of money,” the vendor said.
