one of the major flaws in Ms Strachan's argument is that she seems to be implying that these crimes are being committed by non-licensed operators. I would have to say that I disagree and while i have not obviously witnessed women being attacked what I have seen on a weekly basis at Goodman's Bay is the same licensed operators for years acting irresponsibly on the jet skis. they ride up and down the beach sometimes only 10 - 15 feet offshore, doing tricks and stunts and riding backwards and I cannot count the number of times that they have almost run over swimmers - tourists and locals alike. the police have been called out many times over the years and specifically pointed in the direction of the perpetrator but they have told me unless they witness it themselves they can do nothing. i have been asked by several operators to take this further as they don't like being lumped in with these idiots. under the FNM government i sent multiple letters to Dr Minnis, Earl Deveaux and the Port Administrator providing examples of dangerous behaviour as well as a list of suggestions on how to better regulate at NO COST to the government. still waiting for someone to acknowledge and act on this :)

and while you complain about the 190 that have been let go, why not celebrate the 800 graduates of the Leadership Development Institute who will be trained at the Crystal Palace and the 600 pre-selected high school and college students who will also be trained. We need to make room for the young kids coming out of school so that we don't continue to perpetuate this crime issue. Yes it's sad that this happens to these families and especially before christmas but they can re-apply to work within baha mar when it opens.

i agree with BoopaDoop completely - change has to happen, the work force needs to be updated in many businesses here and thousands of Bahamians will be given jobs when Baha mar opens in the Spring. it's ignorant and it holds our country back from progress for these unions to jump in every time and for bahamians in general to keep making these narrow minded comments about foreignors. get over yourselves and let's try to move this country forward in a positive and productive way.

I have to say that while I am extremely disappointed in our legal process, the continued level of crime and the lack of action by both our politicians AND our own communities, I do not think we can continue to blame the police on every occasion. Most people I know say they would never come forward as a witness or want to be a juror because they fear that the suspect would come after them or their families. So, let's give a hand to our police who make very little money, have less than adequate training and skills compared to their counterparts in the US / Europe etc and live on an island 21 x 7 where there are probably only 2 degrees of separation. Not only are our policemen's lives at stake everyday but so are their own family's. i live in fear on this island, i rarely go out after dark unless it's for work, and, like many of my friends and colleagues, I am preparing an exit strategy so that i can leave and never return. But i keep in mind that the policemen and their family's are at risk as much as the rest of us. so let's have a little compassion and help them to do their jobs by being more involved community members and reporting even the little things.

ditto - legalize.

great story!

you are absolutely correct. i see so few of my peer group there.

i support junkanoo every year and am always disappointed by the lack of tourists that i see there. one reason could be, however, because all of the tickets are purchased by the time they arrive on island and actually hear about it (due to our govt's/tourism lack of global promotion of the event). so really, the only tourists i see are in the sunrise hours when bahamians have vacated their seats. and think about the reverse - if we heavily promoted it and tourists were buying up tickets far in advance, then bahamians would be left to stand on shirley street and there would be an outcry that junkanoo was only for tourists! i think it's a no-win situation. and who wants to stand on shirley street with all the rock and knife fights that occur every half hour. not I! done it, won't do it again.

so, I'm a little confused. They know who the perpetrator is and they know who he was working for. why should the Bahamian public have to pay for this. they should be taken to court and made to cover the cost of the damage over however long a period it takes. we can't just let people steal and destroy property like this without accountability. is it that hard for our govt to grasp? come on, Mr. Miller, surely you can see this. It's the same as people who are driving recklessly and knocking down lamppoles or people's property walls - if you are at fault you should also have to pay for damages. It happens in other countries it CAN and SHOULD happen here. aaarghhhh.....

I would really like for the journalists reporting on these crimes to follow up with more information. I think it's important for the public to know whether these are now random shootings where guys are joyriding and shooting for the hell of it, or are the people being shot involved in gangs or related to gang members or awaiting trial or witnesses or former prisoners. it's important for the public to differentiate because if these are truly random shooting sprees then we are in much worse condition as a society than we are acknowledging and there is little hope in taking down the perpetrators of these crimes. Personally, I would prefer a short paragraph that says 7 former gang members shot over the w/end, without giving much credence to the crime, and more detail on the crimes where the victims are complete innocent victims.

I absolutely agree with this commenter. She will have no credibility if she focuses on slandering Dr. Minnis and will do well to focus on the shortcomings of the PLP - that in itself could take us well past election time. The key is to remain professional and authentic and to set a tone different from the plethora of politicians that we are forced to listen to daily. Stand apart by acting apart.