Robbers who shoot their victims even after they have handed over cash and jewellery appears to be part of a disturbing crime trend that signals the development of a deepening crime problem in the Bahamas, a local psychologist has warned.
Dr. David Allen sees this new development as a serious problem. “Usually they get what they want and leave you alone, now they get what they want and will still kill you.”
He is calling on the country’s leaders – political, community and religious – to act now before the crime problem becomes like the issue of immigration.
“Instead of being reactive, we need to be proactive”. Some of the most recent robberies that illustrate this rob and kill trend include:
– A passerby was shot in the back and another pistol-whipped by two men near the Fort Fincastle area on Thursday, March 3. The robbery victim had already handed over $75 and his jewellery to the robbers when they started to pistol-whip him. The passerby was ordered to the ground, beaten and then shot, after the robbery.
– Two men robbed a club on Deveaux Street on Friday, February 25 and before leaving shot a 43-year-old man in the head.
– A security guard was shot in the back of the head during a robery of a pharmacy on December 13. Richard Petty was reportedly defenseless at the time and had cooperated completely with his murderers throughout the robbery.
Dr. Allen believes that the rob-and-kill trend is connected to the drug culture, where guns are used to prtect drugs like cocaine.
Dr. Allen said he has worked with recovering drug users who say that they get the same high from killing that they do from using cocaine.
Also, included in the crime problem is getting a handle on the influx of illicit firearms into the country, said Chief Supt. Marvin Dames.
Another concern for police is a trend seen among licensed shot guns. Burglars are targeting homes with shotguns, stealing them from homeowners, modifying them (sawing off the tips) and using them to commit other crimes or selling them, said Supt. Dames.
Out of the 39 shotguns seized in 2004, 69 per cent were licensed shotguns that had been stolen from private homes.
Source: Erica Wells, The Tribune
