NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Opposition Senators Michela Barnett-Ellis and Maxine Seymour are urging the Davis administration to approach the crime fight with more aggression amidst the steady increase in the country’s murder rate.
In a statement released by the Free National Movement, Senator Barnett-Ellis expressed her condolences to the victims, their families and those “who were witnesses to the cold and calculated attacks.”The press release sought to draw attention to troubles in the capital after a string of violent incidents—including one where a man was murdered by an axe and another where a bus driver was killed in front of passengers—have rocked the nation. Barnett-Ellis referred to these events as “shocking circumstances” that are contributing to a rise in public anxiety about crime.
“We cannot live in a community where we are worried that we may be in the wrong place at the wrong time and the person next to us may become the country’s next murder victim in front of our eyes, or, even worse, in front of our children,” she said.
Senator Seymour shared similar sentiments, asserting that the public needs to “get back to basics” of looking out for one another.
“No one knows who is next and when a heartless assassin will seize the opportunity. There is even an uptick in school violence which robs children of what should be a guaranteed place of refuge,” she said.
“We must not underestimate the impact of negative environmental influence in the upbringing of tomorrow’s leaders. Exposure to such heinous acts leave lasting impressions on those who witness them.”
Seymour’s comments came in a separate press release from the FNM, which focused on children.
Both Senators agreed that the government must be at the forefront of the response to crime, and not rely solely on the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s efforts.
In Seymour’s estimation, it is the government’s responsibility to partner with the police and “actively lead the way… to address the blatancy and frequency by which violent crime is occurring in our nation.”
Barnett-Ellis, however, questioned the impact of the government’s purported strategies thus far.
“There have been high-profile meetings and consultants engaged but the impact of these photo opportunities remains to be seen,” said Barnett-Ellis. “We continue to wait for the government to articulate its plan to fight crime and stop pawning off responsibility for anticrime policies solely onto the shoulders of the police command structure. It is not enough to say it’s the police force’s job to fight crime.”
Barnett-Ellis continued, “Indeed, Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander had asserted less than two months ago that he fullybelieved the year would close with fewer than 100 murders on the books. We now stand at the unconscionable count of 104 murders in the first ten months of this year.”
She called upon the Davis administration to “aggressively engage” the criminal element in society and “find a way to” keep the country safe, which she stated was one of the Government’s most important functions.
Loading ...
