Recognising The Bahamas to be a soft target for terrorism, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Cynthia Pratt, said Tuesday vigilance and the sharing of information are the key ingredients for countering threats.
She said the government has taken the necessary steps to put the country in touch with the worldwide counter-terrorism apparatus and to develop an intelligence network of its own. Mrs Pratt was addressing a group of senior law enforcement officials attending a two-day “Major Incident” Strategic Planning Conclave at the Holy Trinity Activity Centre, where she said the police and law enforcement agencies have devised new measures to combat the rise in crime.
Pratt said it is important for every person in The Bahamas to come to see him or herself as a part of a counter-terrorism intelligence apparatus. “We must all become careful and observant, and whenever a suspicious act is observed, it should be reported to the police. Remember, silence and ignorance are what terrorists count on to succeed,” she said.
Minister Pratt further stated that even though The Bahamas has no intelligence of any terrorist activity that is aimed at the country, it is important to note that no country is terror-proof, no matter how large, powerful or well-resourced.
“What we can do in The Bahamas is increase the security of large facilities, our airports, our docks and harbours and our large business and other social establishments. We can also develop and put in place effective protection for first-line respondents, in the event of disasters, be they natural or man made,” she said.
According to Minister Pratt, terrorism uses the element of surprise as one of its main weapons, in which surprise is only successfully countered by information. She also noted that The Bahamas has been a party to and participant in international information networks, such as Interpol and the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police.
“In addition, our own local embryonic information network has been formed and will gather, assess and distribute information. Facets of significance can be planned and executed, without being observed in some of its elements by human beings,” she said.
On matters of both crime and terrorism, Minister Pratt said, it is important that they do not allow fear, that arises as a result of these developments, to “paralyze” them into activity.
“When criminals, be they local criminals or international criminals, succeed in disrupting your lives, you would have surrendered to them. This must not happen,” she said.
“In the days ahead,” she said, “law enforcement agencies will make known to the public as far as it is prudent, the security measures that are already in place and the measures that are being taken in response to the rise in criminal activities and the threat of international terrorism.”
Minister Pratt also stated that the increase in crimes is being mainly fueled by guns and all must work together in an effort to take guns out of the hands of the criminals and would-be criminals.
“All of our people must come to realize that guns are dangerous things and not toys to be possessed to give a false sense of importance and power. I ask you therefore to tell the police where the guns are and encourage your relatives, friends and acquaintances that have guns to give them up,” she said, adding that homes and communities will never be safe if guns are easily available.
The National Security Minister said that it is fitting for the police to take the lead in responding to crime, but other facets of the problem must also be addressed. She said that the office of the deputy prime minister, along with the ministry of national security will give leadership on the action to be taken, but all will be called upon to assist.
“In the meantime, I plead with those who appear to be inclined to make political mischief over this problem of crime, to reconsider their posture. The wellbeing of our country is not a matter on which to seek to divide the Bahamian people,” she said.
By Tamara McKenzie, The Nassau Guardian
