Joseph Alcide died at the Princess Margaret Hospital Thursday night from stab wounds to the stomach, according to reports.
Police said earlier that afternoon, they received information that a man was being chased by a group of men in the area of Gladstone Road.
Police believe that the man being chased was Alcide, but they gave no further details regarding the stabbing. Up to Friday morning, there was no one in custody in connection with the murder.
Meanwhile, police are crediting a proactive crime prevention strategy at the New Year’s Day Junkanoo parade with the relatively small number of “minor” offences recorded Thursday morning.
According to police Chief Superintendent Hulan Hanna, about 10 people were taken into custody for infractions like being found in possession of knives and illegal drugs.
Mr. Hanna pointed out that the crackdown on illegal weapons, in particular knives, will continue to be vigilantly enforced as it coincides with a larger and more focused initiative.
“The campaign that the commissioner is promoting now is that knives kill and so we’re not taking any chances,” he said.
“If we find you with one we will take you off the street,” Mr. Hanna added.
Police reports indicated that other arrests included that of a young man taken into custody after being found in possession of a neck chain that he could not give account for.
Highlighting specific elements of the police strategy, Chief Superintendent Hanna said the increased use of closed circuit surveillance cameras and the appropriate placement of barricades to organise and control crowd activity also helped to minimise the occurrence of criminal activity at the Walton ‘Sax’ Taylor New Year’s Day Parade.
In addition to stepping up crime prevention measures at the parade, police were concerned with ensuring the orderly conduct of persons following the festive occasion, Mr. Hanna said.
“Our biggest challenge in years gone by has been that when the daylight is coming throngs of young men would try to go back Over-the-Hill and this is where they would create vandalism,” Mr. Hanna said.
“We have put a number of police operatives in those places including our buses and cars and we have officers at certain locations on lookout and it worked for us except for one or two persons slipping through the cracks on Boxing Day, but I am pleased and I think that this is a turning point for us,” he added.
The senior police officer also noted the role of the media and the public in assisting the police force’s efforts.
“We’ve been able to promulgate the message across the airwaves and warn young men that if they come to Junkanoo and they intend to be nuisances we will take them off Bay Street,” he said.
He continued, “Things went so well here [at Junkanoo] that I asked our controller how things were going in the country and the entire country (up to 10 am Thursday) had no major crime to report,” Mr. Hanna said.
“Truly this is a good way to start the New Year and I want to say to the Bahamian people that you have helped us in the past and we want you to help us in 2004. We can get this thing together if we work along partnership lines,” he added.
But not long afterwards, police recorded the stabbing death mentioned earlier on.
Darrin Culmer, The Bahama Journal
