put all gang members of ALL gangs in the old sports centre at the same time and let them work out their differences. Let them take in any communication aids they like (i.e. no pat downs) and make sure to lock the gates behind them so the scared ones can't just leave at any time.

chrage a fee and call it a Gladiator Fight!!

Nice. HBO would certainly buy the rights. This could go global!

NO, but why the Tribune giving a voice to gang members now? Will they do anything to sell a story? I think it's in poor taste. Why are you trying to further stir the pot with these gangs? IMHO You should never give violence a platform to speak from!

Don't blame Tribune. You ask for answers but then you dumbasses don't listen when they've been saying this forever. Listen for once. Sounding like white privilege when you won't acknowlege the obvious.

Something has to interrupt the kill or be killed trap.

Everyone has a right to their opinion. We should be able to conduct mature intellectual discourse without personal attacks.

Solution for reducing crime & deterring criminal activity:

1) Create a new maximum security, Bahamas led and designed prison on one of our more isolated islands 2) Begin upskilling & training the current resources of able bodied Bahamian men held within the existing prisons to be able to work as skilled, building construction labour on the new prison site 3) Create new job opportunities for boatmen or aircrafts to be able to bring supplies to and from the new prison facilities

...

We really need to look at more effective and humane ways of preventing persons from wanting to stray off the straight and narrow path. And ideally we need to foster a better society based on togetherness where there are contributing members who believe in playing an active role role in our much better tomorrow.

Rise up Bahamaland!

The new prison I can agree with. However, it should be built with asbestos. This will ensure about a 10 year death penalty for the scum locked up within.

Hugs and gentle labour won't help just like the cat o' nine tails and harsh labour won't work. Not everyone will or deserves to live long. Innocent and good people get their lives ended early; criminals don't deserve any better.

Asbestos is a good idea, but you must ensure they have lead infused water for drinking and bathing!

And just kill all the prison officers too I guess....

How about efforts to PREVENT young men going to jail and PREVENT young men being killed...Why are you so obsessed with young (black) men going to jail. Are you a RACIST?

The PLP taught us that. No other lives matter except our own. All for me baby.

The Tribune has made everyone who knows the murdered students and all those who attended school with him a virtual target for murder. Whilst it may not have been the intention, the newspaper should never print that the students were planning revenge. Even if it is the case that information is more suited for the police. One must be careful so as not to be seen as fanning the fire for gang war fare and also sensitive to what is published after interviewing grieving young people.

Where the hell is the Minister of Education and National Security ? These young boys are being recruited on the campuses of the schools! Parents aren't even aware in most cases of how involved their kids are in gang related activities! I call on the Prime Minister along with the respective Ministers to act - NOW!

I understand that Marvin Dames was in the Netherlands recently for some conference on crime - well I'm a Bahamian residing in the Netherlands and gangs DO NOT exist here! The prisons are empty here to the point that we lease them out to neighboring countries!

There has to be an immediate solution and I say start in the schools!

Well the police have a heads-up this time, they need to further enquiry about this for it become a reality.

$300,000,000, three hundred million on the Education budget to educate 60,000 students works out to be some $1,666. Per student per term.

We are not getting value for money especially when compared to the Private School system.

An overhaul of the sustem along with the other government agencies is needed..

Single parent homes are a scourge to this country in so many ways. There are far too many unfit parents producing degenerate children. Maybe drive-by sterilization should be an option.

We can call it 'fogging for mosquitos'.

We have lost over 1,000 to murder in a decade. Add up their ages and multiply by $25,000 what is how much it cost to maintain a person per year. Then subtract their ages from 65 and multiply by $25,000 That is the lost potential income of these murdered victims. Then add the two figures together ( the cost of raising them to the age where they were murdered plus the loss of their earning potential. That is just the tangible cost of murder. Not to include the emotional stress, the destruction to families and friends and the businesses that suffer and even have to close because of murders. Then add in the cost of emergency cars, of police investigations, funeral services and all the other ancillary costs. Murder is not cheap.

Somehow we need to get rid of them before they start murdering.

Roughly $1/2 billion has been lost on rearing persons from birth to an average age of 20 when they are murdered. And with an average age of 20 getting killed the country will has lost $11/4 billion on lost income. And of course when you bring that to the present value Factoring in the accumulated interest over the years) it will be more than $3 billion.

Actually on the point that all the men and women were once cute babies as the Mad hatter says is not entirely true. Some babies are ugly but mot to hurt the feelings of those concerned we tend to be nice and say they are cute.

The focus on efucation seems to be the big show about fixing up the schools, crooked contractors and the buildongs by the politicians...both sides. THRY NEED TO GROW UP AND REALIZE IT IS NOT THE SCHOOL BUIILDINGS THAT NEED FIXING ...ITS THE SYSTEM, STUDENTS, PARENTS, ILLEGALS, LOW PAID TEACHERS ETCETCETC

Really silly that the people can see teachers leaving, shortage of teachers, overcrowded classrooms, etc. Any employer in the private sector will have ulcers seeing their employees leaving, customers fighting, not having enough office supplies and having to have full time plice presemce to frish theor customers etc.

Not only the building need fixing.. Actually many Bahamians have been education under the tree and a google search will show their names and successes. Many Bahamians actually had no further education past the age of 14 years old.

The system is educating two nations childrens. Two values actually many kids are without parents anf for years the govt has deported parents and children are left behind, The system will actually do a darn good job at going over and above to make many do better but at the sacrifice of others. It can be a 1000% imprpvemtent for some students to come from a minus situation and get a D grade.

Bizzare for decades this j
Has been going on.The aithorities need to see past the school buildongs and a coordinated effort involving social services, homeland security, immigration, education etc When thrre is the violence and the taxpayer is funding a govt school system where the per student education cost is more than private school..

Lloyd is wrong on one front ......... The PLP did set out to "dumb down" the masses ....... once the Founding Fathers had benefited from GHS ........ they decided to close it down and create these "one size fits all" secondary schools that are glorified baby-sitting prisons ....... The system is not intended to develop human talent but just maintain the status quo (if you have money send your child to one of the elite private schools).

Actually it was one of the founding Fathers of the FNM , Dir Wallace Whitgield who in 1067 created a massive education system building lots of schools to educate Bahamian children and anyone who showed up got an education. Fast forward to 2016 where Sir Wallace Whitfield wife Beverly in her 80s eas brutally beaten up and robbed. We have Cat o nine flogging and hanging as law but none of the 40 MP legislators seem to want to make it work.

Back then these guys were major thinkers not petty shop operators big thoughts like the university of the Americas, polytechnis School in Palmdale etc. Over the years these did not come to fruition as some say the nahionalist fever wanted things to be fully Bahamian..

All things must be taken according to present condiions.
Present educators are going above and beyond. However for decades when the authorities have seen that the grades are low , teachers are leaving, foreign teachers with excellent level of training and education cannot raise the grade levels should have warrented immediate surgegy

National education has a direct impact on the economy in creating qualified employees..

i suggest gang members caught by police for breaking the law, get 6 months on Plana Cays or Samana Cay (furthest you can get from Nassau and still be in the Bahamas). let them live in barracks, grow their own food, etc. schooling from 7:30am - 4:30pm and no free time, structured schedule from wakeup til sleeping. see the results...

Similarly to building a new prison on one of our farther outer islands, we really need to look at effectively removing these persons determined to disrupt our normal society until they can be socially conditioned, responsible and contributing members of the Bahamian civil society.

Yep .......... I have been advocating for a Bahamian Alcatraz on this blog for three years ....... HMP needs to be a rehab prison, but we need an isolated supermax for the present and future serial murderers, armed robbers, rapists, traitors and gang-bangers ............. and the convicted corrupt politicians as well ..... Let them cut the rock, mix the cement and build the facility themselves.

WHAT !!!

Impossible. Cannot snd will not happen to hav our lil darlings, our countrys future leaders, our Christiian children who go to church every Monday and twice on a Sunday, etc

What for goodness sakes what will some low life religeous leader going to do and not have the chance to go and suk up to some police on letting them go, the MP also will not be able to go round to ths suppprters and try and get their loving sweet child off.

Branville MacCartney pointed all the persons who go and impose themselves to get these persons off. He actually called a spade a spade. He even came up with the unthinkable point to hang murderers in Rawson Square.

Putting these criminals on some Cay will cause such a ruckus and the every human rights activists will show up. Not these sweet lil darlings and murderers who can be involved with 47 murders again....what.?....they can be reformed....they are entitled to another chance...while we pay millions to incarcerate them?.

Stop writing BS ......... this is a DO or DIE period in our country.

Sorry I am being facetious.
I am fed up tired and disgusted at the amounts of crime curruption.
I have been a victim of crime on a number of occasions and I am fed up at the nimber of excuses that are made to protect the wrongdoers.
It is wrong of me to paint all the religeous leaders with the same brush when I say some low life religeous leader for which I truly apoligise.
Really I am tired and fed up at what is going on in our beloved Bahamsland.

I feel your pain ........ but we must continue to advocate, lobby and give good advice and counsel to the legislators who can change the laws, regulations and policies for the better ........... We have that responsibility to our children.