EDITOR, The Tribune

Hardly a day goes by without our nation being greeted with horrific news of one or more cold blooded murders. Unbelievably, with a little more than three months left in this year, we are already at a record-breaking 107 murders, a number which will undoubtedly have increased by the time this letter is published.

As we try to make sense of this sad state of affairs, some reflexively lay the blame at the feet of the Commissioner of Police, Ellison Greenslade. But how can the Commissioner of Police be held responsible for the new Bahamas where people have an incentive to brazenly take another person’s life, confidently knowing that even if they are caught and convicted they will not lose theirs?

That’s right: under our current legal regime, which Prime Minister Christie and his government are happy to leave as is, the severest punishment that a convicted murderer can receive is life in prison. Now how ridiculous is that? A murderer can take someone’s life and his severest punishment is to receive his life (in prison), all expenses paid. What is even more ridiculous is that most of our convicted murderers don’t even get life in prison. They get a few years in prison and their freedom thereafter.

Those who blame the Commissioner of Police for our nation’s state of criminal siege must remember that the Commissioner of Police is not able to pass laws with stiffer penalties, and he certainly cannot lead the process to amend the constitution to address bail weaknesses and to ensure that convicted murderers are executed without prohibition from the Privy Council. Only Prime Minister Christie and his government can take those necessary steps to address our culture of murder and violence; but they have different priorities, like the unnecessary $5m gambling referendum and their $13m carnival (which could have put CCTV cameras throughout New Providence).

As long as we wrongly place blame for our culture of violence and lawlessness at the feet of the Commissioner and others who are not responsible, things will only get worse. The Commissioner of Police and the men and women of the police force are generally doing an excellent job. They are overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated. Yet, they do their jobs every day, and they do it well, putting their very lives on the line for the rest of us, including those who wrongly blame them for that over which they have no control. So, to those who desire our criminal culture to be reversed, I encourage you to place the blame where it rightly belongs: at the feet of Prime Minister Christie and his government; and then hold their feet to the fire. If not, let’s brace ourselves for more of the same.

PASTOR CEDRIC MOSS

Nassau,

September 15, 2015