The crime rate in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas increased by 30 percent in 2002, with the murder rate rising from 43 in 2001 to 52 in 2002, according to police officials.
The increase in the use of firearms has police particularly concerned, so much so that they are planning to introduce new measures to specifically deal with that problem.
Commissioner of Police Paul Farquharson, who spoke to reporters yesterday, said that one of the campaigns being introduced was a poster campaign against robbers which brands such criminals as cowards.
“Armed robbery or a house invasion is one of the most degrading acts that can be committed, I feel… other than rape. I wish to focus particularly on the armed robber and guns in this country,” Mr. Farquharson said.
There was a 22 percent increase in firearm seizures in 2002 with 188 illegal firearms being confiscated by the police up from 147 in 2001, police records show.
The Central Detective Unit (CDU) reported 744 incidents last year. Five hundred and fifty three of those incidents were committed with a firearm, according to Superintendent Marvin Dames who heads, the CDU.
The Southern Division of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, which includes Bain Town , Grants Town , The Grove, Ridgeland Park and Englerston amongst others, had the highest number of firearm-related crimes.
“The Southern Division recorded some 208 armed robberies which accounted for some 28 percent of the overall figure of reported armed robberies. This figure represents the largest number of armed robberies in any one area,” Superintendent Dames said.
The year 2002 also marked a 24 percent increase of reported rape cases. One hundred and thirty eight rapes were reported in 2002 up from 111 incidents in 2001.
Incidents of unlawful sexual intercourse, however, decreased by five percent with 174 cases being reported last year down from 182 cases in 2001.
Two hundred and ten persons were arrested in 2002, 201 of which were charged before the courts. Twenty six percent of the total persons arrested were brought in by police on firearm charges and were repeat offenders.
Just over 65 percent of those persons arrested were between the ages of 18 and 30 years old.
The most significant firearms arrest reported by police in 2001 was that of an American national in Grand Bahama who had a cache of 31 firearms at his home in Lucaya. He was convicted of the crime.
Although the challenges of the drug trade remain clear and present for Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) officials, they along with American drug enforcement authorities dismantled a major international drug ring that resulted in the arrest of five Bahamian nationals late last year.
Superintendent Raymond Gibson of the DEU said that anti-trafficking strategies aimed at disrupting drug operations and organisations showed that marijuana was still the prevalent drug with more than 25,000 pounds of the illegal substance being seized last year. This represented an increase of 174 percent when compared to figures from 2001.
Cocaine seizures increased by 67 percent in 2002 with more than 5,000 pounds of the drug being seized by authorities.
There were also seizures of methamphetamine, commonly known as ecstasy.
A number of assets were also seized in relation to the drug trade in 2002.
The police confiscated six cars, thirteen boats and just over $1.3 million.
This was a decrease from assets seized in 2001.
In 2001, DEU officials seized seventy-four cars, thirteen boats and more than $4.5 million from drug-related activities.
Superintendent Gibson said that his unit is not dismayed by the increase in drug seizures and prosecutions. He also said that police were not convinced that there was a dramatic increase in drug trafficking.
“We view these increases as successes resulting from improved interdiction techniques,” he said.
Deputy Police Commissioner John Rolle noted that with regard to homicides, close to 80 percent of such cases had been solved due to the assistance of the Bahamian public.
“It is my opinion that the citizens of this country are fed up with the almost weekly slaying of our men,” he said.
But Assistant Commissioner for Crime Reginald Ferguson said that he believed there are still too many people in the country who are tolerant of criminal behaviour. He said it seems to suggest that if they are not directly impacted by crime then it is of no importance to them.
“This is the very kind of behaviour that aids criminals in the further commission of all types of crime,” Mr. Ferguson said.
In addition to the new unspecified initiatives the police plan to introduce this year, police officials said they will continue their approach to intelligence-led policing and will take a multi-agency approach toward crime.
They also told reporters that they will continue to focus on repeat and serious offenders and will increase their visibility.
The police also plan to increase partnerships with other uniformed colleagues, especially as it relates to burglary offences.
Firearms traffickers will be targeted as well, police said.
In addition, they said investigative techniques will be improved and they will continue to foster relations with people in the community.
By Julian Reid, The Bahama Journal
