NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Leader Philip Davis yesterday slammed the government for using Hurricane Dorian as an excuse for the recent uptick in crime.
Davis charged the fear of crime is continuing to increase during a press conference at the party’s headquarters.
“The statistics of crime is not a true measurement of crime’s impact on a society,” Davis told reporters.
“I think the fear of crime, that indicator, is more important to me, than whether we have 10 murders in one year or 50 murders in the other.
“It’s when you are afraid to walk the street; you are afraid when you are leaving work, what’s going to happen to you.
“That’s the intercedes that you want to have reduced and I daresay it is continuing to increase because the uptick in crime that they are not speaking to is the amount of robberies and theft that’s occurring, some which are not even being reported.
Crime reports in recent months have been inundated with armed robberies, the majority of which have involved men or businesses in New Providence.
Authorities and government officials have acknowledged spikes in armed robberies, but maintained that there has not been an increase in this category of crime, though data has not been presented to validate that statement.
Murders have also surpassed last year’s total count of 91.
Last week, Commissioner of Police Anthony Ferguson said there was a spike in murders following the deadly storm which devastated Grand Bahama and Abaco in early September.
Ferguson said that prior to the storm the murder count stood at 61. However, he said after the storm passed, the policing strategy had to be changed in order to accommodate the pressing issues in the storm ravaged areas.
“While we were attending to the devastation in Abaco and Grand Bahama, you found that there were persons who had no real concern for what was going on in Abaco, they were wreaking havoc here on New Providence.” Ferguson said.
“They continued with criminal activities and, hence, for September and October, we saw a spike in homicides. That’s a fact. The numbers are there.”
But Davis yesterday questioned the reasoning.
“Dorian is taking the blame for everything now,” he said, when asked about the commissioner’s pronouncement.
“You ain’t ga hear the end of Dorian. Dorian is going to be with us for years to come. It’s going to be the reason why this couldn’t happen, that couldn’t happen, and now even crime is now being associated with Dorian. It’s going to take a lot of blame.”
Davis insisted that “karma is something”, as he pointed to the FNM’s criticisms of the Christie administration’s handling of Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
