...4th April, 2012 Crime in the Bahamas On the 6th April, 2011, shock waves were sent throughout the Bahamaland after the report of a brutal massacre of Nellie Brown-Cox. It is alleged that this crime was committed by her common law husband (Bahamas Press, 2011). This murder was a result of domestic violence, which is a crime that is committed among many residents in the Commonwealth of the Bahama Islands. Crime is ubiquitous, but can be alleviated if the necessary steps are applied. To further explain, certain aspects of crime can be evaluated by explaining the types of crimes, theories and reasons people commit crime, the effects of crime, and the solutions needed to minimize crime in the Bahamas. According to a definition used in a Civics class, crime is an act punishable by law, and within the Bahamas crimes are committed just about everyday. Though there are several different types of crime, the predominant ones in the Bahamas is robbery, domestic violence, sexual assault/rape, and murder. Firstly, robbery in the Bahamas is becoming increasingly popular lately especially with opening of the numerous Cash for Gold stores. Many persons are being robbed by criminals of gold such as chains, bracelets, anklets etc. to trade them in for money. There are many different types of robbery such as; armed or aggravated robbery, carjacking, and highway robbery or mugging. Secondly, Domestic violence is another type of crime that is enormously common within the Bahamas. Domestic violence...
Words: 2035 - Pages: 9
...A cruise-ship passenger gets robbed at gunpoint by thugs in the Bahamas, raising the important question, How safe are you while on vacation? Offending Party: Bahamian criminals What's at Stake: a few hundred dollars The Complaint: As reader Carly Milne found out, nothing can ruin a holiday faster than armed robbery. (Though dysentery and street mimes run pretty close behind.) Last November, Milne says, she and 17 other Bahamas cruise-ship passengers were accosted by gun-toting criminals during two separate onshore excursions in Nassau. The passengers, who were traveling aboard Royal Caribbean and Disney Cruise Line ships, were all scooting around the island on Segways (on ship-sponsored tours) when they were robbed of their money, passports and cell phones. Milne reported the incident to the police and later contacted the Avenger, hoping to get the word out about the rising crime rate in a popular stop for American tourists. The Outcome: None of the passengers were injured, and all were compensated by the cruise lines. But it seems they are not alone in being victimized in the Bahamas. The national crime rate has been rising there in recent years, alarming the government and its tourist board. The Bahamian murder rate hit record highs during two of the past three years, and the country's crime rate appears to be ascending in 2010. Crime was up 17% in the first quarter of this year, with an 18% jump in armed robberies (to 224, up from 190 in the same period in 2008)...
Words: 426 - Pages: 2
...Crime is a major problem in The Bahamas. When reading a newspaper or watching TV, it is impossible not to hear about some murder, robbery or violent act. Crime is increasing and this is affecting our country and influencing our youths. Imagine this beautiful country losing money simple because visitors are afraid to come here because of the dangerous criminal activity going on or simple because crime rate is out of control. Why our Bahamaland should be put at a disadvantage for such careless act. In this essay I will identify some types of crimes in The Bahamas and give solutions that may help to solve crime in The Bahamas. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, crime is defined as: “An illegal act for which someone can be punished by the government”. Research shows the types of crimes committed in The Bahamas are: Crimes against Person (Murder, Attempted Murder, Manslaughter, Rape, Attempted Rape, Unlawful Sexual Intercourse, Armed Robbery, and Robbery Attempted) and Crimes against Property (Burglary, Housebreaking, Shopbreaking, Stealing, Stealing from Vehicle, Stolen Vehicle). According to the Nassau Guardian, ’’The Bahamas like many of the countries surveyed, has had a fluctuating murder count rate over the years… In 2010 there were 94 murders recorded in the country, a record at the time. The next year there were 127 murders, an all-time high and in 2012 there were 111’’. These statistics are becoming a major problem and if it is not dealt...
Words: 523 - Pages: 3
...“Two eight nine”, “four six seven”, “nine three eight one”. These are the sounds of the thoughts that go through the minds of a Bahamians who play numbers as a way of life. These people rely on numbers to somehow solve their everyday problems and to abolish them from their financial slavery. Gaming in the Bahamas should be anything but legalized. The increasing amount of number houses today is ridiculous. They are the people who lead others to believe that there is an easy way to life, that money is the key to a happier life. These are type of thoughts that lead to an unfulfilled and purposeless society. I for one do not support this behavior and certainly do not support the move of legalizing gambling in the Bahamas. I feel that the legalization of gaming in the Bahamas will continue to give people false hope, impose poverty and increase crime. Poverty is no stranger to the Bahamas. There is an estimated amount of 43,000 people today, who live in poverty in the Bahamas (Joseph Darville,). This number is constantly rising every day. One of the negative effects of gambling is that it encourages poverty. A study found that people in poor neighborhoods are twice as likely to have gambling problems. John W Welte, a Senior Research Scientist at University of Buffalo showed that 11 percent of people who were unemployed, received public assistance or lived in places of poverty were problem gamblers (John Welte). In a speech written by Walter Williams, an American Economist, he suggests...
Words: 1407 - Pages: 6
...Factors affecting the increasing crime rate in the Bahamas When most tourists think of the Bahamas the picture of clean green pristine care free island paradise comes to mind as advertised and promoted around the world. Many of the tourists do not see the other side of the picture as shown on the brochure. The people of the Bahamas who live in the country everyday have to endure the other side of the brochure which is the increasing crime rate in the Bahamas. The people of the these islands are known as some of the most peaceful and fun love people in the world this can even be traced back to the peace Lucayan Indians who once inhabited these islands a few centuries ago. Slowly over time the Bahamas had become plagued with crime and violence so much as it played a role in our history as in the days of the pirate and bootleggers. Crime eventually became a part of the Bahamian society until the former governor of the Bahamas Woodes Rodgers exiled all of the pirates and those who remain integrated themselves in to society. Crime never was really totally dispelled form the Bahamas but it was under control but in recent years there has been a major increase in the crime rate in the Bahamas. Some factors which may be affecting this increase in the crime rate are dysfunctional household environment, a poor educational background and a negative cultural influence on the Bahamian society. A dysfunctional household may be one of the leading factors which may result in the leading...
Words: 2173 - Pages: 9
...September 8, 2014 Solutions to the Problem of Crime in The Bahamas Over the past few years the question “Is violent crime a serious problem in The Bahamas?” has changed from a debatable topic to a rhetorical question because it is certainly clear that violent crime is a very serious problem and is on the rise in The Bahamas. In an article written by Athena Damianos, former editor for the Tribune, titled, “What Will It Take for the Government to Deal with the Violent Crime Problem” it was reported that four people were killed over a 20 hour period on a weekend of 2008 but just recently, on August 12th 2014 to be exact, four people were murdered and two were left injured in five separate incidents within a twelve hour period in Nassau. In addition, the murder count for the year 2007 was reported at 79, but so far for the year 2014, the murder count is at 85. Consequently, the questions concerning how serious crime is in The Bahamas have developed into the question “What are solutions that can be used to solve the abundant crime problem we see today?” Some of these solutions are to increase the amount of government involvement, ensure the expansion of rehabilitation programs in Fox Hill, and to ensure better relationships between citizens and police officers. Athena Damianos wrote that “our governments have either been inept, don’t care or simply lack the political will to get the job done” in regards to the issue of dealing with crime. It seems that now more than ever political...
Words: 1114 - Pages: 5
...one is big enough to do the crime, then he should be indeed big enough to take the punishment that follows. “Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for a crime.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment) Basically Capital Punishment is the country’s major punishment, for what they consider to be the most major crimes. It is a subject of active disagreement and controversy in various countries and positions in the argument can vary with a single switch in political hierarchy. To count there are about fifty eight countries that still recognizes Capital Punishment. Surprisingly most of the European and Asian Countries are the ones prohibit the use of Capital Punishment. And oddly even though most of the world physical land masses rebukes Capital Punishment, most of the world’s population still resides in countries that still strongly agree with the use of Capital Punishment. But here in The Bahamas, our situation is quite a special one. We are a free independent country, our laws say that we recognizes the use of Capital Punishment in the country, it obvious that a country cries for it, but the dilemma is that it is not being carried out. But the question raised is why? What is the hold up, and how do the Bahamian people feel about the whole situation? Chapter 1 “Capital Punishment in the Bahamas; Gone but not forgotten” Capital Punishment in The Bahamas has been a practice long before...
Words: 3338 - Pages: 14
...Dictionary. Com describes crime as an action or an instance of negligence that is deemed injurious to the public welfareor morals or to the interests of the state and that is legally prohibited. The social issue of crime in the Bahamas has sky rocketed since the year 2010 Much of the crime in the Bahamas is a result of moral decay and social degeneration which has taken hold over the three decades.. As our population grew in numbers there were few and fewer job opportunities available which has aided and caused the degeneration of the traditional Bahamian family structure.. Responsibility has taken a backseat to the "I just don't give a damn" attitude which is still widely prevalent today.. Many of our younger Bahamians gradually lost their individual sense of identity and instead became involved with the collective gang culture.. Individual self-esteem soon gave way to a group or communal mentality where the lives of individuals became subordinated to the values of the gang.. Enter the available of drugs and the table was set for gangland crimes and murder.. Today this is a major facet of our youth culture as potential gang members are recruited within our school systems.. Drug distribution has become a new source of wealth for these gangs and their drug lord leaders.. Territories for drug distribution are fought over on a daily basis.. More police are not much help as many just turn their backs with their hands out.. Increasing crime rates can be mostly attributed...
Words: 543 - Pages: 3
...shopping abroad to buy goods and send their children to school, as long as the US dollars are floating in the Bahamian economy easily. iii) Foreign Exchange allows for the easy importation of goods and food. 2. Tourism provides jobs for thousands of Bahamians both directly and indirectly. If tourists do not come to the Bahamas, those persons directly involved in tourism for example, the straw vendors, the taxi drivers, retail storeowners etc., could be unable to pay their bills. If they are unable to make money they could be unable to pay their landlords, their mortgages (the banks), etc. For example, persons indirectly involved in tourism such as landlords, could have trouble obtaining their rent. 3. Tourism plays an important role in ensuring that Bahamians are employed. If tourists do not come to the Bahamas for a period of time, persons employed directly in tourism could begin to lose their jobs and this would be felt in every sector of the economy. For example, some hotel employees were laid off after the September 11th terrorist attacks and some hotels temporarily closed. Approximately 30% of all persons in The Bahamas are directly employed in tourism. If you add the persons who are indirectly employed in tourism the percentage of persons employed by the tourism sector increases to...
Words: 821 - Pages: 4
...Garneshia K. Lewis ENGL208 – Bahamian Literature Professor M. Sairsingh March 14, 2015 The Context for When Doves Cry: The Bahamas in the 1980s When Doves Cry, written by Keith A. Russell, was set in the 1980s in Eight Mile Rock, a settlement on Grand Bahama Island. J.J., the main character, is recounting his life and the elements of it that landed him on death row like his crack-addicted mother, his troubled sister and abnormal brother and, of course, his crime. This essay discusses the history of the Bahamas during this time, the political context of the novel being set during this time in Bahamian history and the social ramifications presented in the book and from other sources. How and why did cocaine manage to find its way to Bahamian soil? Cocaine was transported from Colombia, where it was produced, to the Bahamas to its destined location, the United States, which has a very large demand market for the drug and to which the Bahamas has a close proximity. The increase in the availability of cocaine in the Bahamas was due to the arrival of Carlos Lehder, a drug lord from Colombia who was the leader of the Medellin Cartel, in 1978. According to PBS, when Lehder arrived, he bought large properties on Norman’s Cay, Exuma including an airstrip and as a result, there was a notable increase in the amount of airplanes coming onto the island. Ultimately, Lehder used the island as a station for his drug cartel and ended up forcing locals and visitors away from the island...
Words: 2074 - Pages: 9
...clear skies; however, from the resident’s perspective it’s a harsh, hot desert like environment that he must escape. The second example is the view of providing hospitality to a guest. In one scenario the guest is welcomed by the host, given the best by the host and the host actively and willingly engages the guest. In the next scenario the host views the guest as an inconvenience, doesn’t care to interact and can’t wait for the guest to leave. The essay further goes on to describe how The Bahamas is marketed as a “paradise” and how Bahamians didn’t create this idea. In fact, they don’t believe this sells pitch. According to Bethel this is because Bahamians have to deal with the everyday realities and truths that come with being a resident of The Bahamas. For example, the magnificent sunshine that can damage crops, the beautiful seas that can become turquoise graves and the warm white sand on the beaches that can get stuck in our shoes and irritate us (152). Bethel states that marketing The Bahamas as a “paradise” is a wonderful advertising tactic to get tourist to visit; however, she is leery of what it implicitly means. She feels that in a “paradise” all the natives, Bahamians, are by default less important than the tourists and can run the risk of making their life’s work mainly serving them. I think Bethel did an excellent job of illustrating how the same scenario can be described in several different ways based on a person’s perspective. However, I didn’t like how she made it...
Words: 807 - Pages: 4
...stricken streets of third world countries and the Caribbean Island I live now, I have definitely noticed how ethnic and racial issues can affect local communities. Fortunately for me, the local community where I currently live located in Nassau on the island of New Providence, The Bahamas, I have not personally experiences any racial issues, but I do know they exist. Although some of the members of my community do look like me, the majority of them do not. Considering that this is a country located in the Caribbean, Americans, especially white Americans stand out amongst the dominant, dark skinned Bahamian and fellow Caribbean natives. According to The Bahamas Guide (2007), Blacks make up 85% of the Bahamian population, while Whites make up only 12% in the Bahamas. The remaining 3% of the population is made up of Asian and Hispanic immigrants. Like any other population statistics, these figures represent the populations of people living on the islands, and does not account for the 5 million plus people, 87% being Americans who travel to these islands ever year. With that being said, it is very likely that there is more than 12% White people on the islands at any given time. The capital of the Bahamas, Nassau where I live, is home...
Words: 1666 - Pages: 7
...Tremain Jones Monday , April 20, 2015 The new immigration policy of the Bahamas What’s an immigrant? An Immigrant is a person who seek to find refuge into a country to which they are not native in order to settle there, especially as a permanent resident or future citizens. Citizenship is the key for freedom for some and a disadvantage for others. Citizenship in the Bahamas is becoming very difficult to get because of the illegal aliens entering the country. The government has set laws making it difficult for foreigners to have rightful citizenship because of the various common situation we’re facing today such as diseases the rise of crime rate and the increasing population by the day. for these reasons I do agree with the new immigration policy, In the Bahamas today we are facing various issues but, more of illegal immigrants coming into the country. The Immigration Department of the Bahamas has reinforce new laws. rules and regulations for the country's safety, As of last year 1st November 2014 the new policy was put in place by the immigration minister Fred Mitchell.uiy When entering the country illegally you must present a legal document such as a passport of your nationality or a Bahamian residency permit. The Immigration Act stipulates that anyone landing in the Bahamas illegally is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine or imprisonment, after which they may be deported. But these days, those arrested during immigration roundups...
Words: 790 - Pages: 4
...ABSTRACT This paper clarifies around three white collar crimes, which had happened and exposed in news recently. These offenders are genuine experts, businessmen, acting like one of the respectable natives in the general public. This clarifies how person commit crime in agreed to profit, regardless of how respectable or rich you are, out of greed they commit crime and in no time gets caught and received what they supposed to receive. These sorts of unlawful acts influence them as well as demonstrate a huge impact on the economy, basic individuals lives may be exasperates, in this way prompting disturbances. Before finishing up, the paper discloses few stages to keep these law violations, or if nothing else not to turn into a casualty to these criminal acts. 1. White Collar Crime Case 1: May 29, 2015. Ex-legislator's Delco job stirs questions Who is involved? Joe Hackett ,who was with the Delaware County District Attorney's Office. How is the matter being addressed? When he unexpectedly surrendered from the state House a month ago, Joe Hackett said he was coming back to a $85,290-a-year work with the Delaware County District Attorney's Office following a five-year time away. In any case, because of an Inquirer ask for, the province's open-record office said Tuesday that it had no record that Hackett connected for an amplified leave past the one allowed for his initial two years in office under the work contract between the Brotherly Request of Police and the district. ...
Words: 1823 - Pages: 8
...What is the Bahamas tourism product? Why does it need to be diversified? How can it be diversified and what role do we play? Honorable judges, special invited guests, ladies and gentlemen, my fellow competitors a pleasant good morning. I am Pauleisha Thompson and I am honored to present you the topic “Diversifying the Tourism Product. Diversifying comes from the root work diversify which means to make or become more diverse or varied. It means to do things differently from the ordinary. Tourism is define as the temporary, short - term movements of people to destinations outside the places where they normally live and work. Much of this movement is international and a leisure activity. However, Tourism product is define as the total bundle of functionally interdependent tangible and intangible elements that enables the tourist on the one hand to engage in specific activities at one or at several consecutive destinations and on the other hand to facilitate the transition to the destination and the social reproduction during the trip. For more than 30 years, tourism has been the leading industry in the Bahamas. For this reason the Bahamas has many items to offer such as our luxurious beaches to our dynamic Junkanoo , to fine dining and night life . It’s no wonder visitors come from all around to sink their toes into miles of pure white, and in some places pink, sand. Our beaches is one of a kind with calm, turquoise waters and soft, powdery sand. It’s no surprise when...
Words: 1151 - Pages: 5
