Residents in a southern neighbourhood in New Providence are lamenting a perceived increase in crime in that area in recent years, particularly following an early morning shooting that left one man hospitalized on Thursday.
Police said the incident happened around 8am at Faith Plaza on Faith Avenue and Cowpen Road.
According to Police Inspector Walter Evans, a man had just pulled up to the complex when two persons approached him, both armed with weapons.
“We understand that as the individual exited his 1992 green Honda Accord, license number 113310, the gunmen fired shots,” Inspector Evans told the press.
“The individual was hit in the left calf area and taken to hospital in a conscious state. His condition is not life threatening.”
The victim, whose name had still not been released up to press time, is believed to be in his mid-20’s.
Police have not confirmed it, but they said there is a possibility that the shooting may have been an attempted armed robbery.
During the incident, stray bullets damaged a nearby home, frightening a homeowner, who at the time was getting her young son ready for school.
“I didn’t see anything, but I heard about four to five shots,” said the homeowners, who wished not to give her name.
“My sister-in-law said it sounded like gunshots, but my son thought it was firecrackers. Then I heard the window shatter. I told them to get down low because my [mother] taught me that when you hear gunshots to get low. I am not going to be the nosy one and in the end get shot.”
The homeowner added, “Budget (Meat Store) has gotten robbed before, but this (shooting) has never happened. I was scared, very scared. I’m not used to violence. I have young kids and so this was very frightening. One of my kids or even my nephew could have been shot. He was in the room that the bullet came through.”
Another resident in the area, who also wished to remain anonymous, claimed that crime has increased in the neighbourhood.
She said there is the need for more police patrol.
“I’ve never been robbed, but one night my car was hit so hard, it was turned completely around,” the woman said.
But she admitted that despite what some residents see as an increase in crime, she never considered moving.
“This area is a nice area,” she said. “The people who live here are nice people. It’s the outsiders who cause the problem.”
Owner of Faith Plaza and proprietor of Super Stop Wash, Ermalee Larrow, shared similar sentiments during an interview with the Bahama Journal.
“Crime is increasing,” Mrs. Larrow said.
“But we’re trying hard to protect our property. We’re putting up cameras around the building. We’ve gotten a license for our gun. We have bodyguards.
She added that additional burglar bars were installed at her home last year after three gunmen held her at bay.
Police officials have expressed increasing concern about what they said is the growing number of illegal weapons on the country’s streets.
Chief Superintendent Christopher McCoy recently revealed that the same weapons are being used to commit some crimes and that intelligence suggests that criminals are able to rent weapons and return them, allowing other criminals to rent the same weapons for the commission of their crimes.
Chief Superintendent Marvin Dames also stressed that point while appearing as a guest on Love 97’s “Issues of the Day” earlier this month.
He noted that because The Bahamas imports a great deal of its goods, weapons are also coming in tucked away in what would initially appear to be legitimate imports.
Police said at the time they had seized about 40 illegal firearms for 2006.
“We are doing all that we can to take [illegal] weapons off the streets, but we cannot do it by ourselves. We need the support of the public,” Inspector Evans reminded the press on Thursday.
The Carmichael Division of the Police Force was expected to host a business crime watch meeting under the theme “Partnering for A Safer Business Community at Golden Gates Assembly last night.
An invitation was extended to all business owners and homeowners to attend the meeting.
Police said Carmichael is the largest policing division within New Providence as it spans south of the Tonique Williams-Darling Highway, west of Blue Hill Road, and stretches as far back as Coral Harbour.
“[Fighting] crime should be everyone’s business,” Mr. Evans said.
“Some persons have adopted what we feel is a lackadaisical attitude. Some persons would see a gun and they are not affected one way or the other, but we are saying to the public to come out-We wish to remind them to have a zero-tolerance approach to crime. Barring that, we will obviously continue to have incidents like these.”
Mrs. Larrow agreed.
“This life is serious,” she said. “I feel we need to make this a gated area, but this is something that cannot be done on one’s own.”
By: Macushla N. Pinder, The Bahama Journal
