Inspector Walter Evans said it was especially important to tackle the “rising” murder rate as the second half of the year quickly approaches. “From the criminal aspect some of our major concerns have been the stabbings, shootings and killings,” Inspector Evans told the Nassau Guardian.
Recent reports indicated that the country’s murder count stands at just over 20 for the year. However, Inspector Evans insisted that the Royal Bahamas Police Force is doing all it can to stem the flow of deadly crimes. “During the first half of the year we have been doing quite a bit of stuff to see how best we could circumvent those things from happening,” he said. The officer also insisted that community involvement in crime prevention is a major deterrent. He urged residents to become more “actively” involved in policing their communities in a bid to crack down on crime. “As the police embark on preventing these things from happening, it is our true desire that the public partners with the police so that we can reduce these numbers and the (number of) incidents that take place in our community,” he said.
“They can assist the police by stopping arguments from getting so intense that people are shot or stabbed. They can also help by contacting the police when they see persons in possession of firearms.”
Meanwhile, police officials reported that in 2005 there was a 10 per cent increase in serious crime. Murders increased by 15 per cent, with 52 recorded in 2005, compared to 44 in 2004.
In Grand Bahama, serious crimes increased by 33 per cent, with murders escalating by 64 per cent, from 11 in 2004 to 18 in 2005. But in 2003 there was a four per cent decrease in the number of murders – 52 in 2002 and 50 in 2003.
According to officials in New Providence, there was a 23.8 per cent decrease in murders in 2003, from 42 recorded in 2002 to 32 in 2003. Last year, there was also a 25 per cent decrease in domestic murders, from 32 in 2002 to 24 in 2003. Grand Bahama recorded a 87.5 per cent increase in murders in 2003, from eight in 2002 to 15 in 2003.
By: JASMIN BONIMY, The Nassau Guardian
