This plan documents a coordinated strategy to combat drug trafficking and use in the Bahamas.
The various projects in the plan are expected to cost more than $3 million and will be funded through the Confiscated Assets Fund, a mechanism that was set up under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2000; direct government appropriations; international organizations and bilateral funding.
The plan calls for the establishment of a National Anti-Drug Secretariat to co-ordinate the various anti-drug strategies, efforts and initiatives in the country.
The major goal of the plan is to bring about a drug-free society through the mobilization and coordination of the resources of the state and civil society.
The statement of purpose to the plan indicates that, ﾓThe purpose of this plan is to galvanize the Bahamian people in partnership with government agencies and civil societies into organized, measurable, and collective action.ﾒ
The plan is an integrated strategy that brings together the different sectors involved in the drug fight, including law enforcement agencies and demand reduction organizations like the National Drug Council.
The Bahamas has adopted its anti-drug strategy as recommended by the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) and the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime.
The implementation of the project comes at a time when The Bahamas remains a major drug transshipment route for cocaine and marijuana bound for the United States and The Caribbean, as noted in a March 2004 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report.
Minister Pratt has revealed plans to address the National Anti-Drug Plan in its entirety following the budget debate.
The Minister also provided an update on conditions at Her Majestyﾴs Prison.
She said a quarter million dollars has been earmarked for the implementation of the Prison Reform Commissionﾴs recommendations, including proposed amendments to the Prison Act.
According to Mrs. Pratt, the Office of the Attorney General is in the final stages of preparing draft amendments to the legislation, which she expects to introduce to parliament before the end of the year.
Reiterating sentiments recently expressed by Police Chief Superintendent, Marvin Dames, the Minister further noted that steps must be implemented to guard against the Fox Hill facility becoming a school for criminals.
Part of this initiative is the establishment of a $200,000 Central Facility that is expected to be completed and commissioned by the end of the month.
ﾓThe Central Facility will act as a ﾑway station,ﾒ in which newly sentenced inmates will be held and assessed,ﾒ Minister Pratt said.
Other upgrades are also expected at the prison.
Minister Pratt also revealed that the upcoming fiscal period will see an increase in police recruitment as well as the number of patrol cars and service vehicles.
Macushla N. Pinder, The Bahama Journal
