Paul I Jukic  03/14/2008 10:02:51 AM  From  DB/Inbox:  Search Results

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UNCLAS        NASSAU 01458

SIPDIS
CXNASSAU:
    ACTION: AMB
    INFO:   RSO DCM POL CONS

DISSEMINATION: AMB /1
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: CDA:DBHARDT
DRAFTED: POL:PIJUKIC
CLEARED: POL:DBOCONNOR, CONS:VRAMADAN, RSO:ADEJONG

VZCZCBHI537
RR RUEHC RUCNCOM
DE RUEHBH #1458/01 3411854
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 071854Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY NASSAU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5013
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NASSAU 001458 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KCRM KJUS BF
SUBJECT: BAHAMAS GRAPPLES WITH SHARP RISE IN VIOLENT CRIME 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: A series of high-profile murders of 
prominent professionals in Nassau and Freeport in 
mid-November, followed by a number of gangland-style killings 
in the capital November 24-28, have focused renewed public 
attention on a rising tide of violent crime in The Bahamas. 
Police statistics show marked increases in murder, rape, 
attempted rape and armed robbery so far in 2007, fueling 
public anxiety about a "crime wave" and the criminal justice 
system's inability to handle it.  Top political, religious 
and business leaders have decried the "unacceptable" level of 
crime, as the murder tally reached a record high. 
Participants in a "National Assembly on Crime" held in 
September stressed the need for more family, church and 
community involvement with young, unemployed offenders, who 
are frequently both perpetrators and victims of homicides. 
With a continued stream of violent criminal acts commanding 
headlines, Bahamians largely agree on the socio-economic 
roots of crime, but have not yet reached a consensus on 
measures to address systemic flaws in the criminal justice 
system.  No quick fixes are in sight.  END SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
LEADERS ADDRESS CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES OF CRIME 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The head of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce recently 
joined a chorus of concerned voices in the wake of shocking 
reports that several prominent Bahamians were killed over the 
preceding weekend -- including a college professor and 
acclaimed fashion designer, in separate but possibly 
connected incidents in Nassau, very near the Embassy -- 
telling a gathering of business persons at a crime prevention 
seminar that the criminal justice system was "in complete 
disarray."  The Acting Minister of National Security, and 
Minister of State for Immigration, Elma Campbell, also 
addressing the event, warned that if current trends 
continued, "investors and tourists alike will be driven away, 
seriously impacting development in our service-based 
economy." 
 
¶3. (SBU) In a widely-publicized presentation in Parliament 
October 17, the Minister of National Security and 
Immigration, Tommy Turnquest, framed the ongoing debate by 
saying an "unacceptably high crime wave" was afflicting the 
country.  The Minister cited preliminary police statistics 
showing significant increases in murder (up 43% from 2006 to 
2007), rape (up 67%), attempted rape (up 63%), and armed 
robbery (up 50%).  Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham echoed this 
sentiment in a speech to police officials October 19, noting 
that many perpetrators of serious crimes were youths.  The 
Anglican Archbishop, Drexel Gomez, picked up the refrain in 
an address to the Anglican Synod October 22, saying crime was 
the single most important issue affecting the quality of life 
of citizens and visitors alike.  PolOff's regular contacts 
with legal and human rights observers confirm that worries 
about crime and lack of punishment have come to outweigh 
concerns about human rights abuses in the minds of Bahamians. 
 
¶4. (SBU) An analysis of recent police statistics presented to 
a "National Assembly on Crime" held September 14-15 pointed 
to the existence of a young (16-35), Bahamian (as opposed to 
Haitian immigrant, as local and media stereotypes often 
imply), male, criminal sub-culture which the criminal justice 
system appears incapable of effectively controlling.  The 
Ministry of National Security organized the event, bringing 
together police and prison officials, media, clergy and civil 
society representatives to chart a strategy for addressing 
the worrying rise in violent crime.  PolOff attended the 
opening of the assembly, whose speakers included the 
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, the 
Deputy Commissioner of Police, the head of the Court of 
Appeals, and religious leaders.  Presenters painted a picture 
of crimes committed by and against unemployed, under-educated 
youth apparently enamored of the material accoutrements of 
the gang culture and operating in an illegal, drug-fueled 
alternative economy.  Speakers' calls for a collective, 
societal response to the "scourge" of violent crime are now 
consistently repeated as bad crime news mounts, seemingly on 
a daily basis. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Participants recommended better prison 
rehabilitation efforts and mooted the introduction of a 
formal plea-bargaining system to relieve the prosecutorial 
burden.  They and other observers urged more family, church 
and community involvement with young offenders or potential 
offenders.  The most common conclusion was that deeper, 
long-term social ills such as family breakdown, poor 
educational achievement, and the lure for young men of the 
lucrative, illicit drug economy need to be addressed in order 
for crime-fighting efforts to succeed.  At the end of the 
Assembly, the Minister of National Security announced the 
formation of a "National Crime Council" charged with 
developing an action plan to address crime.  The Councils' 
members, drawn from government, clergy, media, education, and 
the private sector were announced December 4. 
 
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STATISTICS HIGHLIGHT FLAWS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Since the high-profile Assembly was held, the 
stream of shocking, individual criminal acts in The Bahamas 
has not abated:  a woman shot in the face of a bank parking 
lot in Nassau after making a large withdrawal; an elderly 
woman killed in her home on Eleuthera Island; a fifteen 
year-old attempted burglar shot to death in the capital.  The 
grim litany of recent homicide headlines became even more 
sensational after four homicides occurred in the space of 24 
hours from November 15-16, including the grisly killings of 
the noted professional duo in Nassau, which, like many other 
violent crimes, may have had its origins in personal 
disputes.  A spate of possibly gang-related shootings 
November 24-28 pushed the tally of officially recorded 
murders in The Bahamas this year to 74, far surpassing last 
year's total of 60 with over a month to go in the year, and 
matching an all-time record.  COMMENT: With a population of 
some 300,000 people, The Bahamas' current homicide rate 
(approximately 25 per 100,000 people) would rank it No. 11 
among U.S. metropolitan areas (using 2006 FBI statistics), 
about matching that of Kansas City, Missouri. END COMMENT. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Anguished media commentary on the state of society 
and the shortcomings of the criminal justice system 
underlines public anxiety not only about violent crime, but 
about the inability of the authorities to handle it. 
According to statistics previously made public by government 
officials, nearly half of suspects charged with murder so far 
this year were out on bail for another offense when arrested, 
while half the homicide victims also had criminal records -- 
36% of those including violence.  Alarming figures cited by 
the Minister of National Security in his speech to parliament 
on October 17 indicated that 114 persons charged with murder 
are currently out on bail, with over 200 more out on bail for 
other serious crimes such as rape and armed robbery.  To 
illustrate the point, a drive-by shooting reported on 
November 22 resulted in the death of a reputed contract 
killer -- out on bail for murder at the time of his killing. 
On the other hand, 587 persons incarcerated in prison (of 
1,359 total, or 43%) are held while awaiting trial, some for 
up to four years.  The majority of remand prisoners (358, or 
61%) languish in the outdated and overcrowded maximum 
security wing.  According to the prison director's public 
statements, the Bahamas has one of the highest incarceration 
rates in the world. 
 
¶8. (SBU) The revelations have occasioned further 
hand-wringing by religious leaders, commentators, and legal 
professionals, shifting attention from the socio-economic 
origins or causes of crime to the shortcomings of the 
criminal justice system in prosecuting and punishing it. 
Informed legal observers do not agree on a diagnosis, let 
alone a cure.  Lengthy legal procedures, large numbers of 
detained persons, staff shortages in the judiciary, and 
judicial inefficiency compounded by personnel, financial and 
space constraints are cited as obstacles to the proper 
administration of justice.  Other legal observers, however, 
attribute inordinate delays in trials to slow police 
investigations and inefficient prosecution strategies, 
pointing to systemic problems in the executive rather than to 
a lack of judicial capacity.  These include lack of 
selectivity in prosecutions, coupled with a lack of energy in 
bringing them to court, compounded by a high acquittal rate 
(48%), which encourages even the guilty to seek their day in 
court rather than cop a plea.  No one is satisfied with 
prison conditions or chronic overcrowding.  The head of the 
Chamber of Commerce summarized the situation November 19, 
saying that society had lost its faith in the system, while 
criminals no longer believed that "if you do the crime, 
you'll do the time." 
 
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COMMENT:  PROPOSED REFORMS UNABLE TO IMPACT CRIME RATE QUICKLY 
--------------------------------------------- ----------------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) The Minister of National Security stated in 
parliament that the government is considering new measures 
including:  alternatives to incarceration for non-violent 
offenders; a plea bargaining system; electronic monitoring of 
indictees released on bail; and increased efforts to 
rehabilitate convicted criminals.  The governing party's only 
concrete legislative proposal to date, however, was an 
amendment to the Juries Act reducing the number of jurors 
from 12 to 9 in non-capital cases.  It was passed in 
parliament on November 5 over vociferous initial opposition, 
and was dismissed by many commentators as little more than a 
"fig leaf" for government inaction or incapacity to grapple 
with the real issues. 
 
¶10. (SBU)  No recent initiative, including the Juries Act 
amendment, is likely to make an immediate impact on the crime 
rate as long as the criminal justice system effectively puts 
indicted criminals back on the street to commit more crimes. 
Without introducing specific measures to monitor suspected 
offenders out on bail, break the logjam in the courts, or 
increase or optimize space in the prison to keep violent 
offenders in and others out, the GCOB is unlikely to make 
much progress in addressing the underlying causes of the 
latest "crime wave" to shake the Bahamas. 
HARDT