NASSAU| During the Royal Bahamas Police Force Annual Church Service, on January 7, 2024, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. Philip Davis stated that he was “greatly saddened and deeply shocked” by the recent spate of murders in The Bahamas.
“Only seven days into the New Year, and already the country has recorded eight murders, each victim appearing to have been specifically targeted for one reason or another,” he said, at the service held at New Destiny Baptist Cathedral, on Gladstone Road. “This is not the gift of peace which yesterday (the 12th Day of Christmas) was meant to symbolize.”
“Yes, crime has been a long-standing issue in our country, but recently, the crime of murder especially, has taken on a horrifyingly new level of brutality and barbarity,” he added.
“Something, has indeed gone wrong, very wrong, in our society.”
Among those present were Governor-General Her Excellency the Most Hon. Cynthia Pratt; Acting Minister of National Security and Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture the Hon. Mario Bowleg; Commissioner of Police Clayton Fernander; Heads of Uniformed Branches; and representatives of the Judiciary and the clergy.
Prime Minister Davis noted that it was to the Royal Bahamas Police Force, that The Bahamas turned to most “in these trying times.”
“We ask you to attend the scenes of the crimes, to witness the physical horrors inflicted on human beings, to do so amidst the shock and grief of families and communities, and then to find the perpetrators and potentially put your own lives at risk in apprehending them,” he said.
“For this, along with all other aspects of policing, we thank you,” Prime Minister Davis added.
“For maintaining public order and safety, and for enforcing the law, we thank you.”
He pointed out that, in the public mind, citizens associated the police most with its efforts to find and catch those responsible for crimes, and bring them before the courts, “hopefully to then have them locked away from society.”
Prime Minister Davis noted that that was just one component of a much broader objective.
“As a society, it is not our goal to fill our prisons with criminals; and it ought not to be,” he said.
He added: “Instead, our real goal must be to deter or prevent crimes being committed in the first place. This is especially true in cases of murder. The primary goal must be to prevent loss of life, rather than to fill our prisons after those lives have been violently ended. We know that this is much more easily ‘said’ than ‘done’.”
Prime Minister Davis pointed out that the prevention of any crime was a “vexing issue” as there needed to be some indication that a crime was about to be committed before any intervention could be made.
“But if someone is being specifically targeted to be killed, if there is a conscious, deliberate, prepared effort, especially by someone acting alone, it is extremely difficult to intervene ahead of time,” he noted.
“Our focus, therefore, must be to intervene early enough in the lives of young people, especially young men – because it is almost always young men – we must intervene in their lives sufficiently early so that they do not form an intention to kill in the first place.”
Prime Minister Davis said that, as was true with the overwhelming majority of people in The Bahamas, the idea of killing must be put outside their moral compass.
“So what we can we do?” he asked. “And more specifically, what are we asking of you?”
“Well, we know that here in The Bahamas, most murders and other crimes that cause significant harm, are linked to gang-related activities,” Prime Minister Davis said. “We see in the crime statistics the tit-for-tat killings, the targeting of people out on bail for murder, and the cycles of revenge whereby those associated with one victim seek revenge on the presumed perpetrators.”
He added that he “profoundly” disagreed with those who said, “just let them shoot each other.”
“That is not the kind of country I want to live in, and the instruction from our Christian faith could not be clearer: ‘Thou shalt not kill’, Prime Minister Davis said.
Traditional policing still had a “critical and vital” role to play in those crime-fighting efforts, he said.
Prime Minister Davis stated: “And so, during the past two years, we have significantly increased the resources to help you to be more effective. More officers recruited, more vehicles brought onto the streets, more technological support, more firearms and so on. We have strengthened control of our borders, along with our partnership with the United States and others in the region, to reduce the flow of illegal trafficking of people and firearms.
“Additionally, in recent months, we have begun a strategic initiative to implement a ‘Whole Government Response’ to tackling Gang Crime,” he added.
“You will hear more about this in the coming weeks.”
Prime Minister Davis told the officers and staff in attendance that what the Government needed from them was for them to become more engaged with its plans to prevent gang recruitment and youth involvement in crime.
“As it is also vitally important that you build trust with the communities you work in, we want you to be mindful to provide a positive policing response to those communities, in order to protect them from crime,” he said.
“With a higher degree of trust in place, people are more likely to confide in you information which can help to prevent crime,” he added. “Our initiative also includes the Government’s commitment to bring offenders to justice swiftly, to demonstrate that convicted offenders will be punished, and that committing a crime carries real consequences.
“Because we want offenders to be successfully reintegrated into communities after serving their sentence, we are also providing opportunities and pathways to rehabilitation.”
Prime Minister noted that, for him, the issue was not merely a matter of good governance – it was deeply personal.
He said: “I have grown up as a young man in The Bahamas. My sons and now my grandsons, are also growing up as young men in our Bahamas. When I was in in my early teens, had the gangs been as pernicious as they are now, would I have been able to resist them?
“Will my grandsons be able to complete their school years without being harassed and terrorised into getting involved with some gang-related activity?”
Prime Minister Davis said to the officers present that they needed to do “all that we can to support our young men”.
He pointed out that research conducted around the world and in The Bahamas, indicated that there were many factors that led a young generation to become attracted to a gang lifestyle.
“These include lack of opportunity, truancy, parent-child separation, neglect, poverty, community dis-organisation and so on,” Prime Minister Davis said.
He added: “But what is so heart-breaking, is to learn that so many of these young people, so many of these young men, are just searching for the basics in life. They’re not looking for great riches. They’re looking for food and water and shelter. They’re looking for a feeling of security, a feeling of connectedness, looking for a sense of belonging and friendship.”
Prime Minster Davis noted that that was what he asked of them that day.
“The Government can continue to recruit more officers, buy more cars, and deploy the fanciest technology, but we cannot personally and individually engage with the hearts and minds of the young men at risk.
“We need each of you – all of you – to play your part,” he added. “We can bring a ‘whole government’ approach, but we also need a ‘whole society’ response. Do what you can, do all that you can, to provide mentorship and friendship to these young people.
“Show them that there is another way, a better way.”
Prime Minister Davis said to members present from the police force that, although they must not neglect their policing duties, they should find time and space within those to express more of their humanity.
He stated: “When you see or engage with a vulnerable child or young person, pause to think how you might help. We know that gangs are actively recruiting as early as primary school. What can you to do offer support? What can you do to intervene?”
“The mere fact that you are an officer of the law means that you have already achieved enough in life to be able to offer them your life example,” Prime Minister Davis added. “Please also encourage the family and friends of young people at risk, to join you in your efforts.”
He pointed out that, oftentimes, even if they don’t know the details, they know that something bad or dangerous was taking place in their home.
“They know that their loved ones are not living as they should,” Prime Minister Davis said. “Help these parents and family members to understand that they are not being a snitch to confide their worries or fears in an officer, a teacher, a pastor or some other trusted official.
“Instead, they are more likely to be saving that young person’s life,” he added. “They are even more likely to be helping to save that young person’s future, or a long term in jail.”
Prime Minister Davis stated that, after all the losses, all the waste of life, all the misery and fear and pain that was part of the criminal life in gangs, those who still choose to pursue the path of crime “understand that we are at maximum resolve.”
“While our arms are open for those who seek a better path, our stance against crime is resolute,” he said. “We are coming for you.
“You cannot win.”
Prime Minister Davis stated that The Bahamas will “reclaim our streets, our neighbourhoods and our homes.”
He said: “I feel the weight of every crime. I hear the cries of every tear shed. I hear the echoes of every plea for a safer nation. I am deeply moved, not just as your Prime Minister but as a Bahamian, a parent, a neighbour, and a friend.
“Safeguarding our nation’s peace remains at the forefront of my mind.”
Prime Minister Davis stated during his remarks that he formally invited the Christian Council to consider holding a National Day of Prayer to help bring healing and comfort.
He continued: “Officers, your theme is perfect for this moment: ‘Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me’. I invite you to take it seriously.”
“We are bringing the ‘whole of government’ to disrupt and root out the gangs in our society,” Prime Minister Davis added. “And we need you to play your part.”
