Murders having ‘doubling-up effect’ on funeral homes

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Funeral Directors Association president Kirsch Ferguson said the country’s soaring murder rate is straining personnel and equipment of funeral homes, calling it a “doubling up effect”.

Twenty people have been murdered this year.

“It is indeed a strain on personnel and equipment to facilitate assisting the government with having these bodies removed from the scenes of crimes,” Mr Ferguson said yesterday.

“Obviously, we have to be mindful of the fact that we are a 24-hour business and death happens around us all the time, so the increase with homicide is an added burden to an extent, but we have to respond accordingly while we service what we normally would do in any incident.”

 Mr Ferguson said dealing with homicide bodies requires more drastic than usual measures to preserve bodies.

 “With respect to personnel again facilitating ongoing services, we are on funeral services, and we are getting calls for response to homicides,” he said.

 “Now, while the coroner’s office has instituted removal companies to assist in that endeavour, these removal companies also service the funeral market as well. So, we are relying on these same persons to collect bodies on our behalf, as well as the government is to collect bodies on the coroner’s behalf.”

 “In terms of having adequate supplies on hand to service these bodies, that must be put in place.”

 “Then also, having equipment available to service calls of the homicide nature and regular calls, it’s almost like doubling up on staff and equipment and also supplies.”

 With a lot of murders in recent times as a result of gang retaliation, Mr Ferguson expressed concern for the safety of staff during funeral services. He said uniformed and ununiformed police officers attend funeral services to ensure the safety of all.

 He reiterated the need to properly regulate the funeral industry to ensure proper structure.

 “Well, as has been our plea since a year ago, and even more so now, is the need for regulation to be enforced ASAP,” he said. “We are mindful and very grateful of the government making the announcement that in this legalisation year, regulation will be brought before Parliament.”

Comments

bahamianson says...

Kirsch, make your money, bey. Let them kill themselves and make your money. It is like the dentist complaining about too many patients, the physicians complaining about too many patients. Let them kill themselves, more money for you. After all, do you get tired of seeing dead bodies? That's all you do.

Posted 2 February 2024, 11:38 a.m. Suggest removal

stillwaters says...

I was wondering if I misunderstood after reading the article..........I said to myself, surely he's not complaining.

Posted 2 February 2024, 1:47 p.m. Suggest removal

JokeyJack says...

It's like my cousin's hamburger take-out. Lately he has been getting an enormous increase in orders at lunch time. While he would normally have 30 to 40 burger sales between 12pm and 2pm, the last 3 weeks he has been serving between 100 to 150 in the same lunch time.

This has caused him to buy more buns, more mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup. Also, of course, the patties themselves along with pickles and lettuce and tomatoes. He says it's been a strain on his car to fit all of that stuff in the trunk and the back seat - sometimes having to make two trips to the food store over a 48 hour period.

When will it end?

Posted 2 February 2024, 2:09 p.m. Suggest removal

sheeprunner12 says...

Maybe only certain (smaller) firms want to deal with these murder corpses & slow Govt payments.

The bigger firms don't need the drama, cash delays, or danger to staff.

That was not made clear in the article.

Posted 3 February 2024, 7:09 a.m. Suggest removal

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