A pervasive culture of dishonesty and a conspiracy of silence in the country are responsible for many of the social ills currently disrupting the society, Attorney General and Minister of Education Alfred Sears said last week.
Mr. Sears was speaking at a town meeting organised by the Nassau Street Police Station Consultative Committee to consider strategies for reducing the level of criminal activity in the country.
“When we talk about crime we think about the most dramatic acts of violence such as murder, battery, or armed robbery. But crime is a much more pervasive concept within our society,” Mr. Sears said.
He said less dramatic crimes, such as assisting or cloaking criminals occur, too often throughout the community.
“When one canvases within a society, one soon finds out that some people have tremendous means. But when one looks at the so-called legitimate business they’re involved in, one cannot understand because there is no correlation between the things that they are ostensibly engaged in and their wealth.
“We as a community know this, but yet there is a conspiracy of silence,” Minister Sears said.
He said some persons are reluctant to give information about known criminals to the police because they obtain certain benefits from those involved in criminal activity.
“Some of these [criminals] engage in community ‘good works’ and by so doing build up a sense of goodwill within the community. In other words, today in The Bahamas, we have modern day Robin Hoods,” Mr. Sears said.
Mr. Sears said all persons should be concerned about crime because it has an impact upon everyone either directly or indirectly.
He said social partnerships between the police and community organisations like the Nassau Street Police Station Consultative Committee are an effective way to combat crime.
“Crime is a violation not only against the individual victim, but it is a violation against society. Whenever someone is violated all of us are violated because the norms, the values which protect all of us as a civilized society would have been violated,” Minister Sears said.
The rights and welfare of persons who have been affected by crime was also discussed during the town meeting. Mr. Sears said more attention must be given to the victims of crime and accordingly he has given instructions that a special victim’s unit be established within the office of the Attorney General.
“It is a very traumatic experience to have been violated and then to be thrust into a very adversarial system, because our court system is adversarial,” Mr. Sears said.
Additionally, the Attorney General said the government is giving consideration to drafting legislation to create a victim’s compensation scheme so that persons convicted of committing crimes against others would be required to provide compensation to the victims or their dependents.
Minister of Social Services and Community Development Melanie Griffin said one of the origins of crime is the example children receive from adults.
“We need to look at our value system and the emphasis placed on having certain material things. We all like wealth or material things and many of them help to make life more comfortable and enjoyable, but we need to learn to live with what we can afford,” Mrs. Griffin said.
She said parents ought to be honest in all their dealings and teach their children respect for honest work.
“Some people today are prepared to do almost anything to obtain material things. They are willing to lie, cheat, steal and even kill to get what they want,” she said.
Mrs. Griffin said when parents become aware that their children are involved in criminal activity, although it may seem difficult, they should report their children to the police. In the long run, it would make them better citizens, she said.
Chairperson of the Nassau Street Police Station Consultative Committee Kolamae Pedican said the committee is a joint effort between officers of the Nassau Street police station and residents in the surrounding community.
The committee’s goal is to assist the police in the prevention and detection of crime, she said.
“We want to come up with solutions [to crime] and encourage people to take a stand. We have decided to stand up and say ‘No more crime. We’re going to do our part to stop it’,” Mrs. Pedican said.
By Darrin Culmer, The Bahama Journal
