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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
 Nassau, Bahamas - 52nd National Convention 2017 Address by Hon. Dr. Bernard J. Nottage, M.P., Minister of National Security on January 26th, 2017:
PLPs I consider it an honor and a privilege to address you at this 52nd National Convention. I represent a wonderful group of intelligent, resourceful, and proud Bahamians who reside in the great Constituency of Bain and Grants Town. Thanks to each of you for your unwavering support. I look forward to representing you again when the PLP is re-elected as the next Government of The Bahamas.
Nearly 5 years ago, I was tasked with perhaps one of the most challenging Cabinet positions; the Minster of National Security. When we assumed office, we met a police force which had a police commissioner who was tied by term limits. We met front line officers who were ill equipped to properly and safely carry out their duties. We met police cars that were not suited for patrolling our streets. We discovered that that many of the police and fire stations were dilapidated. And we learned that the Force did not have the proper staffing levels.
We met the Royal Bahamas Defence Force in a very peculiar state. Their vessels were deteriorating and in dire need of replacement. Marines who were sent out to sea were forced to carry out their operations with outdated technology and sub-standard boats. We found a centralized Defence Force with improperly equipped bases to deploy vessels throughout our archipelago in a timely fashion. And we met a Defence Force that did not have sufficient marines.
When we looked at the Prison, we met a strictly punitive facility with no true rehabilitative component. Prison officers did not have the necessary training in corrections and were not in-step with best practices. The facility had very limited rehabilitative and educational programs for inmates. Many of the structures on the compound were dilapidated. There was no Security & Intelligence Branch, which would be very critical to prison safety. The hardworking leadership of the prison did not feel as if they were on the same level as their counterparts. And we also found that there were not enough correctional officers.
We met a dysfunctional criminal justice system. There was a severe case backlog, with a mere 4 criminal courts sitting. There were extremely long delays in getting a trial to commence. Only a small number of cases were completed annually, and conviction rates were low.
The Ministry of National Security was in disarray. There were no holistic crime fighting initiatives. Major technological investments such as CCTV and Electronic Monitoring were in dire need of expansion and upgrading. The Confiscated Assets fund was depleted with no proper accountability. Many laws were outdated and did not keep pace with the dynamics of public safety. But most unfortunate was the fact that the crime rate had been increasing each year.
But thank God for the PLP. PLP. PLP. PLP.
This PLP government, under the leadership of the Rt. Hon. Perry Gladstone Christie, has drafted the most holistic anti-crime agenda which was outlined in our Charter For Governance. PLPs, we have been hearing these so called ‘crime experts’ from that other party that there is no holistic approach to crime. They talk talk talk. They talk about this, they talk about that, they talk too much. But where is their plan? Can somebody please tell them to show us their plan.
We set out on a quest to make our great nation safer with employing 4 main pillars including effective crime Prevention, Detection, Prosecution and Rehabilitation. And this is what we did:
We immediately went to work on the Police Force and amended the Police Act to free the Police Commissioner from term limits. We spent over $1 million to purchase the best body armour protection for officers. We have made large investments in police vehicles. Just recently, we spent $3.2 million on 51 Ford Taurus Interceptors, 20 Wrangler Jeeps and 20 Nissan Versas, and 3 Nissan Civilian Busses. We have purchased 50 police motorcycles, which should arrive shortly. We spent $1.3 million to purchase 5 new fire trucks and reopened fire stations. We also opened new and renovated police stations. And we recruited 427 police officers, the largest in the history of RBPF. Thank God for the PLP. PLP. PLP. PLP.
As for the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, this administration has made the largest single investment (the sum of $232 million) in its history to modernize and decentralize its operations under the Sandy Bottom Project. Our Marines are now able to able carry out their operations throughout our waters in 9 of the most advanced and safe vessels. We dredged several harbours to deploy new vessels at strategic locations throughout the archipelago. We instituted Operation “Secure Shore”, which involved RBDF outposts at South Beach and coastal patrols. We recruited 484 new Marines (the largest in the history of RBDF). And we expanded the RBDF Rangers.
Thank God for the PLP. PLP. PLP. PLP.
Moving on to the prison, we passed the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services Act, which was the vehicle that transformed Her Majesty’s Prisons into the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. This facility is now driven by the most progressive practices on the rehabilitation and re-integration of offenders. Correctional officers are now being fully trained in corrections both locally and internationally. We built a new 2-story, 40-unit, fully air-conditioned recruit quarters to facilitate a better correctional officer training experience.
We established a Security & Intelligence Branch complete with its own building. We expanded various Rehabilitation & Education Programs for inmates. We instituted appropriate ranks as the head of the facility is no longer called a Superintendent but rather the Commissioner of Correctional Services. And we hired 278 new Correctional Officers – the largest in their history.
Thank God for the PLP. PLP. PLP. PLP.
To put the criminal justice system back in order, we instituted the Swift Justice Initiative spearheaded by the Office of the Attorney General. We hired additional Supreme Court Justices and Magistrates. We increased the number of sitting criminal courts. We implemented the Integrated Justice System Platform to establish automation and connectivity of all the stakeholders in the criminal justice system.
We invested over $1 billion dollars and re-focused the Ministry of National Security by undertaking a number of comprehensive crime fighting initiatives including the Citizen Security & Justice Project, Urban Renewal 2.0, School & Tourism Based Policing, the Shock Treatment Program, and the Give Every Child a Father Program.
Thank God for the PLP. PLP. PLP. PLP.
We expanded and upgraded anti-crime technology including CCTV, the 919 Communications System, and secured a new service provider for the electronic monitoring of offenders. We are rolling out a new Parole Program geared toward the successful re-integration of non-violent offenders. The specific objective of this program is to reduce the recidivism rate by giving recently released inmates an opportunity to return to society and live a productive, crime free life.
Thank God for the PLP. PLP. PLP. PLP.
We made much needed legislative amendments including ones to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and the Bail Act. We enacted critical anti-crime laws such as the Anti-Gang Legislation and the Marco’s Law and Alert System.
So one may ask; What were the results of what we did?
Well, let us look at the national reported major crimes for 2007-2011. As you can clearly see, figures were going up. Now let us look at the national reported major crimes from 2012 to 2016. I want all of you to look carefully, and I only want to say 3 words (it’s going down).
A 50% reduction (from 12,147 in 2011 to 6,245 in 2016)
PLP! PLP! PLP!
Our investments in the Police Force have resulted in over 2,000 illegal firearms and 41, 000 rounds of ammunition that were taken off our streets. There was over $4.4 million in cash seizures believed to be the proceeds of crime. Over 63,000 pounds of marijuana and 7,500 pounds of cocaine were seized.
The results of our investments in the Defense Force included the seizure of over $100,000 pounds of crawfish from poachers, the apprehension of over 6,000 illegal migrants, the seizure of over 2,000 pounds of drugs, the rescue of 620 persons from the high seas and the interdiction of 13 poaching vessels.
Our investments in the Department of Corrections resulted in the seizure of over 1,700 cell phones and 949 ‘jookers’ from inmates; the establishment of new rehabilitation and educational programs for inmates and the opening of a new sporting complex.
Our investments in the Swift Justice Initiative have resulted in the establishment of 11 sitting criminal courts, a reduction in the case backlog, an increased number of completed cases annually, a shortened length of time for trials to commence and an increase in the conviction rate.
Other significant accomplishments included OPBAT (our joint drug interdiction operation) being awarded the Joint Operations Interdiction Awardas the best in the region, The Bahamas being elected as the Chair of the drug control arm of the OAS; and The Bahamas receiving a Tier-1 (the best) rating on the Annual Trafficking in Persons Report. Ms. Karen Rigby, Under Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, was also recognized as a 2016 TIP Report Hero.
The Parole & Probation Steering Committee has presented their findings and it is anticipated the Government of The Bahamas will introduce the Parole legislation this year.
Overall, the results of our investments have made our National Security Apparatus among the most progressive and technologically advanced in the region!
Thank God for the PLP. PLP. PLP. PLP.
During the next 5 years, we will continue to focus on other root causes of crime. We are well aware of what has been happening on our streets from late last year and early this year. We know that this violence is mostly isolated to small groups of prolific offenders who are affiliated with criminal enterprises/gangs. This violence is concentrated in inner cities where victims and suspects are typically marginalized young men, many of whom lack positive male role models.
To combat this, we will be establishing a Violent Prolific Offenders Program where the most violent offenders will be targeted, swiftly prosecuted and severely punished. We will establish a Gun Interdiction Task Force which will be made up of not only police officers, but officials from all local armed forces and our US partners to dismantle the trafficking of firearms through our borders.
We will enforce the new anti-gang laws that were passed in 2014. Persons convicted of an offence under this Act are liable to a fine of $500,000 and to imprisonment for twenty (20) years. Several gang leaders are presently serving time for other criminal offences in The Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. We will continue to do our part to ensure that all gang-bangers, who disrupt the peace and tranquility of our nation, face the full brunt of the law,
The Citizen Security & Justice Program will be in full operation as it tackles these root causes of crime from a socio-economic crime prevention perspective. This multifaceted approach will not only include prevention and intervention aspects but will also address challenges involving employability and employment of at risk youths, prosecution, sentencing and the rehabilitation of persons in conflict with the law. The Project is made up of 4 components including use of violence in resolving conflicts, youth unemployment, limited capability of the justice system, and the high recidivism and incarceration rates.
We are also dealing with pockets of this violence surfacing in several of our schools. We will renew our focus on our School Based Policing Program where officers will play an even more integral role in school safety and support the school’s administration.
PLPs, putting metal detectors in our schools is neither a sensible nor an intelligent solution to school safety. I am surprised that a person who claims to be so smart, can make such an asinine statement. How will metal detectors teach conflict resolution skills?
PLP, s the Shock Treatment program will also assist with keep our school’s safe as it will help young Bahamians who have strayed down the wrong path, to become more sensitized to the consequences of deviant behavior.
The Government recognizes that we have to find innovative ways in which to deal with crime. We know that our young men between 16-25 are typically the victims and suspects. I remember visiting the prison when we took office in 2012 and prisoners saying Doc. Our generation is finished. We have lost a generation. Focus on the younger persons who are coming up. I looked amazed, but it is clear that some of these gang affiliated young men are determined and resolute in their minds and will continue in this life of drugs, crime and gang affiliation.
Our PLP Government is in partnership with the IDB in renovating 9 community centres in New Providence. They will be placed in communities where the level of criminality is particularly significant, where there is a need for preventative initiatives, where there are condensed populations and the poverty rate is high as evidenced in our Asset and Assessment Survey. These areas identified are Fox Hill, Bain Town, Grants Town, Centreville, Englerston, Bamboo Town & Pinewood (shared centres), Nassau Village, Yellow Elder and Kemp Road. We will take a community-driven approach which will require the active involvement of the community in guiding decisions, delivering services and participating in all programs.
The Ministry of National Security will support the expansion of existing projects that address the root causes of crime. One such project is The Family: People Helping People. The Family is a group therapy model spearheaded by Dr. David Allen that aims to facilitate cultural re-socialization of disenfranchised individuals through personal transformation.
Finally, I say again, no other administration has more comprehensively and precisely addressed our nation’s national security challenges. During the last 5 years, we have made use of the entire gamut of strategic actions including prevention, enforcement, rehabilitation, treatment and re-integration. Our strategies were not made on emotion, but driven by constant empirical analyses of the crime and safety situation in our nation.
Although the downward trend indicates that our efforts are having a positive impact on crime overall. We will also address the fear of crime and further lowering the numbers to an irreducible level. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who have been impacted by violent crime. We want to reassure all of you that as we continue to bring crime down, no effort is being spared to improve the safety of all Bahamians.
I want to take this opportunity to officially commend all of the hard working law enforcement officers. We will continue to equip our officials with the tools they need to carry out their duties.
We are not going to allow a small group of thugs – who have demonstrated that they are not interested in changing their ways – to ruin our nation’s future. I warn all of the gang-bangers and criminals in The Bahamas that we will not rest until all of you are taken down and brought to justice. I warn members of the public who allow their homes to be havens for criminals and their illicit activities to cease and desist of face the consequences.
We need all Bahamians to step up to the plate, and support the many initiatives that are ongoing. Join us, support us. I call on the church, civic organizations, and concerned citizens to get more involved in finding more solutions to crime and help our boys or girls choose the right path. You see them every day, in your communities, families, and churches.
Join us as we continue to Build, Empower, and Move Forward...Together for a Safer Bahamas.
God bless the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.
© Copyright 2017 by thebahamasweekly.com
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