NASSAU, The Bahamas — Prime Minister Perry Gladstone Christie said the government is “immediately following up in its commitment to reinstate and reinvigorate the Urban Renewal programme to foster a beneficial and effective relationship between the police and the community”.
During his presentation of the 2012/2013 Budget Communication, Wednesday, May 30, Prime Minister Christie said the reinstatement of the programme is one of the ways the government hopes to tackle incidents of crime in the country.
The National Crime Agenda is one of the two central priorities of change for the new administration; the other is promoting industry and creating jobs, he explained.
“Within the fiscally responsible budget allocations presented in the budget, we will begin to develop and implement the many legislative, policy and programme initiatives in our agenda to combat crime,” the Prime Minister said.
These initiatives include:
- Amendments to the Police Act;
- The creation of a National Intelligence Agency;
- The development of a National Firearms Control Strategy, including the establishment of a Firearms Department and Database;
- The reintroduction of the Swift Justice Initiative;
- The reintroduction of the Witness Protection Programme;
- Amendments to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act;
- The reintroduction of school-based policing;
- The revitalisation of the Tourism-based Police Initiative; and
- The re-equipment and repositioning of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force to more effectively control the country’s borders.
Prime Minister Christie said the Speech from the Throne speaks to the need to determine the extent of interest among the Bahamian population, in establishing a national lottery and/or decriminalising and properly regulating the web shop-type gaming business.
“It is estimated that this area holds the potential to make a significant financial contribution in support of government expenditures on the nation’s economic and social priorities in the years ahead,” he said.
“Accordingly, we will soon present the details for a national referendum on the issue.
“Should it be deemed that it is in the national interest, development work on the necessary legal and administrative framework will be finalised,” the Prime Minister said.
By Llonella Gilbert
Bahamas Information Services
