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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Bahamas Information Services Updates
NASSAU, The Bahamas – While speaking on the topic “National Security Strategies for Peace and Conflict Resolution,” February 2, 2018, Minister of National Security the Hon. Marvin Dames said that over the past decade, escalating crime and violence numbers have presented challenges to the economic and social development of The Bahamas; and that rise in violent crime and fear of crime, unfortunately, remains an issue of priority facing our society today. “Much of the violence and crime that we are seeing is motivated by individuals and their inability to resolve conflicts peacefully and with civility,” Minister Dames said at a meeting of the Rotary Club of East Nassau, at the Nassau Yacht Club. “If we are going to restore law and order and build public safety within our society, we must bring focus to the causal factors which contribute to crime and violent behaviour,” he added. “At the core of the matter, we must first address how we deal with daily conflicts on our streets, in our homes, at our schools and in our social environments.” In The Bahamas, Minister Dames said, homicide victims are predominantly males, and, in fact, over the past five years, males had accounted for a disproportionate number of homicide victims.
“Gang violence mainly perpetrated by males, presents several challenges for law enforcement and public safety,” he said. Minister Dames noted that, according to a local murder study in “Solutions to the Murder Problem” (Hanna, 2017), 31 per cent of murder victims and 42 per cent of murder suspects were active gang members and involved in gang activity. “The study also suggests that gangs are often formed due to system failures or community dysfunctions and that many of the revenge and/or retaliation murders are by-products of ongoing feuds among gangs rival,” he said. While the primary victims of homicide are young men, Minister Dames said, violence against women and children is also a concern. A National Anti-Drug Secretariat study on murder for the period, 2010 – 2015 revealed that 10 per cent or 75 of the murders committed, were a result of domestic violence and involved violence between intimate partners, siblings and parent-child relations, he pointed out. “Domestic violence also includes physical, physiological, and emotional abuse between intimate partners, parents and children, siblings and/or family members,” Minister Dames said. “Further, several studies conducted between 2009 and 2010 suggested that domestic violence in some form occurred in 62 per cent of the homes in The Bahamas.” Minister Dames stated that the Bahamas Secondary School Drug Prevalence Survey (2012) studied crime and violence and victimization among students. Survey data reported around 21 percent of secondary school students having been physically attacked and 40 percent reported to have been in a physical fight one or more times during a 12-month period, he noted. “The survey found that male students were significantly more likely than female students to have been attacked and in a fight,” Minister Dames said. “Survey data also found that during a 30-day period, 16 per cent of students reported to be victims of bullying while 16 per cent of those surveyed admitted to hitting, kicking or pushing other students daily. “Further, 18 per cent of students admitted to carrying a weapon such as a gun or knife during one or more occasions during a 30-day period prior to the survey, but only 10 per cent admitted to carrying a weapon on school property,” he added. “The survey also found that nearly one of four students had their personal property damaged or stolen while on school grounds.” Minister Dames said that an examination of the motives behind murders in 2017 suggested that perpetrators were gang members, and that violence existed in their homes. He added that the study found that, of those charged with the offence of murder, 97 per cent were male; 82 per cent ranged in ages from 18-35 years of age; 58 per cent had prior criminal records; and 42 per cent were involved in gangs. Earlier studies also revealed that 71 per cent of murder suspects were unemployed, he noted. “These statistics, particularly the loss of human life suggests that peace and conflict resolution are real challenges facing our country today,” Minister Dames said, I readily acknowledge that there is no ‘quick-fix’ to the complex issue of crime, as many issues we face today are the manifestation of many years of inattention, abdication of responsibility and neglect. “It would be naive to assume that this very complex predicament of criminality can be rectified overnight.” Minister Dames pointed out that renowned Bahamian psychiatrist Dr. David Allen is quoted as saying “Crime is a public health problem. Public health means it cannot be solved just by law enforcement alone.” “I will add that crime reflects a microcosm of societal ills and the inability to resolve conflicts many times than not, results in serious crimes occurring,” he said. Minister Dames said that, since coming to Office, the Government had been resolute in developing a strategic approach to aggressively addressing the underlying issues of crime that included lack of education, poverty, poor parenting skills, poor communication and poor reasoning – all in a concerted effort to restore peace on our streets, in our homes, at our schools, and in our social environments. “Our Government has revamped the Citizen Security and Justice Programme, a subset of my Ministry which was created to aid in the reduction of social crime and violence,” Minister Dames said. “This initiative demonstrates strong government support for creating resolutions to conflict and creating peace and is designed to positively affect all areas: our streets, homes, schools and social environments specifically, social inequalities.” Minister Dames said that, as its executing agency, the Ministry of National Security seeks to build synergistic relationships with other ministries and departments including the Department of Labour, Office of the Attorney General, Youth, Sports and Culture, Social Services, and Education. “The programme, through four components will provide training in domestic violence; conflict resolution; soft skills training; strengthen vocational training capacity at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services and create a certification and training programme for youth confined to the juvenile detention centers, just to name a few,” he said.
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