The time has come to enforce use of the Cat O’ Nine Tails for criminals who rape and the society must show a zero tolerance approach to such heinous offences, Police Superintendent Hulan Hanna said today.
“I see the agony, the pain. I see what men, husbands go through when they sit helplessly, and know that their wives or their daughters are being violated in a room next door. I see the pain and the anguish on their faces,” said Mr. Hanna, who was a guest on the Love 97 radio talk show “Issues of the Day.”
“I know the trauma I feel, when I realize I have a mother, I have sisters, I know women throughout this country, so I suffer secondarily…If it’s going to take the Cat O’ Nine Tail to cause a man to stop in his tracks and to think twice about violating a female, bring on the Cat O’ Nine Tail.”
The call for the re-introduction of this form of punishment has been increasing in recent days. Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia Pratt, who is also responsible for National Security, said recently that she supports use of the Cat.
Minister Allyson Maynard-Gibson also said over the weekend that the Cat needs to be used to punish criminals who rape.
Superintendent Hanna acknowledged that many women are becoming increasingly fearful and concerned because more and more rapes are being publicized. But he said that people should not be overly alarmed.
Minister Pratt reported recently that there were 41 rapes for the month of September, but Mr. Hanna said he could not confirm this as police do not have the same figures. Available police statistics show that there were 62 rapes for the first six months of this year. Police reported 54 rapes during the same period last year, meaning that there was a 15 percent increase in reported rapes.
But Mr. Hanna said places like the Crisis Centre of the Bahamas may have other figures as not all rape cases are reported to the police.
“We do not discount those figures, but we do not have those figures,” he said. “Granted, there may be females who are raped and who go to their priests. They may go to a counseling center. Our records show that for the month of September,we only had about 15 rapes.” Mr. Hanna said, “We are concerned that rape for the first six months of the year, is on the increase. We are concerned also that a lot of persons who are coming out of prison, who would have done their time for sexual matters, once they are back in the general population, our indicators tell us, that you are going to have to be careful of these persons, because these are sexual predators and they are going to prey on the public.”
Police meantime are asking women who live alone, in particular, to exercise great caution in their day-to-day routines.
Superintendent Hanna said such women should not “advertise” that they live alone; should be aware of their environment, particularly late at nights and should call for police assistance if they become overly concerned while traveling alone late at nights.
Citizens in general should ensure that their premises are properly secured at all times; and should leave outdoor lights on when out at nights.
D’arcy Rahming, a self-defense instructor who was also a guest on the show, said that women should understand that the “bad guys have a plan.”
“Bad guys select, test, then physically assault,” Mr. Rahming said. “He sizes you up and he watches.”
He said a lot of people are growing up without empathy. Reasoning your way out of it is unlikely, he pointed out.
Mr. Rahming advised that everyone has a plan in the event that the criminal element strikes.
“In your plan, you have to know when to fight and know when to run,” he said.
“You have to realize that you are responsible for your own security. Often, we hear people crying out for the death penalty and various things, but these are reactive measures.”
Another suggestion Mr. Rahming made was, “Don’t allow yourself to be tied up.”
While police and government statistics differ, Mr. Rahming pointed out that, “the amazing thing about statistics is that when it happens to you, it is 100 percent.”
By Candia Dames, The Bahama Journal
