NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The escalating murder rate is alarming and requires a multi-layered approach, Bahamas Christian Council President Delton Fernander said yesterday.
His comment came after eight men were killed in seven days, bring the murder tally for the year near 80.
He said: “As a church we are deeply concerned about the amount of murders and the rate of murders which put us on track to be the highest ever.
“The church in collaboration with Urban Renewal and the crime council will begin a time of of collaboration so that we can have some of the projects that are ongoing worked together.
“I think a lot is happening in silos and it’s reaching one of the times we need a larger approach and maybe the time is now as a nation we focus on the crime like we focus on the drugs and let’s really have a task force that goes at it from every aspect of society.
“This is not a police problem. It’s not a government problem. It’s a Bahamian problem and we’re willing to help as a church.
Murders for the first six months of the year are up nearly 30 percent compared to last year as the country’s killing remain on par to set a record.
National Security Minister Wayne Munroe revealed recently that 30 of the first 65 people killed this year were men on bail for homicides.
Over the weekend, he said the government is arming police to catch perpetrators.
“This seems to be an epidemic a pandemic not quite yet of young men deciding they can’t settle things peacefully, to decide that they’re gonna adopt the lifestyle of killing,” he said.
“What the public needs to focus on is we must get young men, particularly young people, into positive things.
“The police as I say is very good at doing their investigations and getting to the bottom of what it is all about.
“Now, getting to the bottom of what it is all about just tells us what is motivating these people.
“Again, the ultimate mark of stopping it is to prevent people acting on the motivation.”
