EDITOR, The Tribune.

Crime in our country - I have grown so weary and frustrated with the never-ending comments from politicians, citizens and “so-called experts”.

I actually prefer our beloved Potcake’s opinions, on how to fight this horrific epidemic.

I am an avid listener to our daily talk show hosts and hear everyone as they call in with their many suggestions and thoughts. We Bahamians like to talk, myself included.

I am not sure if any of you remember the movie “Groundhog Day”, where the same 24-hour day keeps being played out over and over again. I feel as though I am stuck in that movie, when I hear the same old ideas and suggestions over and over and over (you get the picture). I venture to say it is zero achievement in anything positive happening. And so let me add yet another suggestion ... heck - what do we have to lose. It surely cannot hurt!

We need outside help!

We have friends who live in Cayman, born there so they are not foreigners. A few years ago they were dealing with a similar situation, with their crime rising at a rapid rate (nowhere near as bad as ours). They, too, had a serious gang problem on their island. But their government listened to the Caymanians and acknowledged that this was beyond their control and brought in outside forces from Great Britain. It took one year – and then they left.

Crime there is now under control. Our Caymanian friend explained to us why it only took a year. It was because this “outside help” did not have anyone in affiliation with people in government or in the public. They came to do their job. They did not have a cousin who was arrested for murder, but who knew the judge’s sister’s auntie and therefore got a slap on the wrist. They didn’t have a brother who knew the Member of Parliament, who made a call and arranged a quick bail. They did not know the gang member’s mother who knew the uncle of a “big wig” in Parliament, so he was released after a year. God knows I could go on and on but I am sure you know what I am talking about.

I am not in denial or clueless that we, as a country, have lost a generation into the gangs, I am not in denial that we have to figure out how to start from the bottom and work our way out of our many problems and issues that have brought our country to our knees with this horrific crime rate. I just feel that we need immediate help right now. I listen to our talk show hosts saying many times that we have the answers within this country, that we have great people here amongst us that have solutions and ideas. If only people would listen, that we have young people coming up through the ranks of politics that have the answers ... but I have only one question. How is this working for you right now?

Methinks the answer would be - it is not.

I beg our Prime Minister Perry Christie, Deputy Prime Minister Brave Davis and Keith Bell - get your heads out of our beautiful white sand and swallow your pride or whatever is stopping you - and bring in outside help immediately.

Das my five cents.

NANCY TRECO

Nassau,

November 3, 2015