By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., February 7, 2024 — Continuing his laser-focused campaign aimed at curtailing a rising crime rate in The Bahamas, Prime Minister Philip E. Davis has been effectively using Social Media to highlight his government’s commitment to addressing this vexing crime problem that has attracted the attention of the international media, which does not bode well for one of the world’s leading tourist destinations.
One recent example is a series of photos posted on Facebook on Monday, February 5, taken at a meeting convened by the Prime Minister with The Bahamas National Neighbourhood Watch Council and senior Royal Bahamas Police Force Officials, aimed at assessing the effectiveness of current crime-prevention strategies from the Neighborhood Groups’ perspective and (to) gain insights into their needs,” according to the narrative that accompanied the photos.
“Neighborhood Watch Groups play a pivotal role in the administration’s 5-Pillar Plan on Crime,” the Prime Minister noted. “Today’s dialogue prioritized collaborative strategies, specifically addressing how to support Watch Groups in their initiatives and enhance communication channels with the police.”
Meanwhile, US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Usha E. Pitts has said that she is “not the least concerned” about the safety of Americans in The Bahamas despite the widespread attention given to a recent travel advisory, The Tribune, one of The Bahamas’s leading newspapers, reported on Tuesday, February 6.
Ms. Pitts noted that The Bahamas’ travel advisory level did not change and remained at level two, meaning “exercise increase caution”.
“We have to remember that our audience is Americans who are coming to The Bahamas,” Ms Pitts said. “We want to make sure that they are safe and so we have a responsibility to warn them to be careful when they need to be careful. So that’s all the travel advisory is and that was our intent, was to let them know what to be aware of.”
The advisory reported that “the majority of crime occurs on New Providence (Nassau) and Grand Bahama (Freeport) islands.”
“In Nassau, practice increased vigilance in the ‘Over the Hill’ area (south of Shirley Street) where gang-on-gang violence has resulted in a high homicide rate primarily affecting the local population,” the advisory urged.
