NASSAU, Bahamas – February 9, 2024 — As concerns about the high level of violent crime in The Bahamas continue to mount, former Prime Minister Perry Christie said yesterday that addressing the issues impacting crime is a matter of effective governance, and expressed confidence that the current administration will address those issues, The Nassau Guardian reported today in an article written by Rachel Scott.
“We know that a holistic approach is necessary,” Christie told reporters. “In other words, education; children not going to school hungry.
“[Ensuring they exist] in appropriate circumstances, in appropriate conditions; meaning if houses have to be repaired, they are repaired; in safe neighborhoods, meaning that the neighborhoods should be policed; clean neighborhoods, meaning they should be cleaned.
“So, clearly, it’s a question of governance and effective governance and putting that in place and making sure that you are responding to the needs of the people.
“And, as I said before, I think that those ideas are now in play and I have no doubt that in the coming days and weeks you are going to see major activity on the part of the government of The Bahamas.”
There have been 25 murders so far this year in The Bahamas – 23 in New Providence, one in Abaco and one in Grand Bahama.
The bloody start to 2024 has prompted worry among many New Providence residents and has also made the country the subject of international headlines, raising questions about the possible impact on tourism.
Christie said young men are being weaponized as a result of their surroundings.
“We clearly will have to find the formula to understand why young men in particular are being weaponized by the environment in which they live,” he said.
“They literally become human weapons and weapons that are not working in the best interest of the country.
“And that is attributable to the environment they live in, the challenges – whether unemployment, whether being tempted by the strength of brotherhood in terms of gangs.
“All of those are subject to, I think, study and examination by the country now as we speak.”
The high rate of murders has been a concern in The Bahamas for many years now, with successive governments identifying crime as a major issue that must be addressed.
The highest recorded murder toll in Bahamian history was in 2015, when Christie was prime minister. That year, 146 murders were recorded. Since then, the count has fluctuated, dropping below 100 only in 2019 and 2020.
