Prime Minister Perry Christie said on Sunday that he has asked Commissioner of Police Paul Farquharson to integrate the police force into the public school system to help address some of the vexing problems associated with youth violence.
Mr. Christie made the announcement at a Progressive Liberal Party prayer breakfast held at the Wyndham Nassau Resort on Cable Beach, just days after a 15-year-old C.V. Bethel Senior High School student was stabbed to death allegedly by another student.
There was also an outbreak of violence reported at Government High School on the same day.
While stressing that the government is careful not to interfere with the work of the police, the prime minister said he would like to see the community policing initiative go further with police officers becoming more involved in the operations of local schools.
Mr. Christie told those gathered that the police would be responsible for intelligence gathering in the schools and enforcement.
“What was inherited from the Pindling era must mean to us an uncompromising commitment to do all that we can for our people,” Mr. Christie said. “That means that we are able to, through the educational system, determine from the principals and leadership of schools that every one of our children who is challenged in the schools.”
“When you look at those who are deviant in their behavior, you see their grade point average is very low, you see suspensionsﾅWe cannot afford any longer to allow children who are challenged in our schools to remain in our classrooms as if they are normal children.”
Using himself as an example, Mr. Christie said when he was a child, he was identified as a student who needed special assistance.
“I was put out of the school because the school felt that I could not learn,” he said. “I required special attention; I got it and look whatﾴs happened to me.”
Mr. Christie also told the gathering of what he called a new wave of economic transformation already taking place.
“The economics will take place that you can be sure of,” Mr. Christie said, “from Bimini, Grand Bahama, Abaco, Eleuthera, Exuma, it will place. Our challenge will be to move our people to those different places to take advantage together with the local communities.”
Prime Minister Christie also gave thanks to God for his partyﾴs success.
He said that three years ago he promised that the Bahamas would be transformed economically, and that those supporters who have been waiting patiently for employment will find those jobs during the third and fourth year of his governmentﾴs first term in office.
“The people who wondered whether or not we would move forward economically will acknowledge and have to acknowledge that we have unprecedented levels of growth about to happen.
“They can look at the external reserves of our country to see historic levels and go back and think of the time when former governments bragged about how much it was. Look at it now,” Mr. Christie said.
“Every time we made an announcement some people said ﾑthatﾴs what they plannedﾴ but soon you run out of what they planned. Soon they would have to give us credit for doing some things right.”
Delivering the sermon was Bishop Sam Green, who said strong leaders are needed to address the many challenges facing The Bahamas.
Bishop Green, the former head of the Christian Council, indicated that Prime Minister Christie was “the chosen one” to lead this country to the “promise land”.
“Years ago we set to achieve what the developed countries have accomplished,” Bishop Green said. “To remind us of our goal, we coined the motto, ﾑgoing to the First World.ﾴ Realistically, we know from the word of God that it is quite realistic to obtain First World status and yet fall short of the mark.”
Bishop Green said, “If we as a nation are to attain we must do so with our sights set on a loftier target than the First World. We must adopt the promise land mindset, if you please.”
He added that the present government was divinely chosen by God and is the best government that this country has ever seen.
Stephen Gay, The Bahama Journal
