Labour Minister Dion Foulkes revealed on Friday that a scheme has been created by the Cabinet’s sub-committee on crime, which calls for immediate action by the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

Senator Foulkes, who is a member of the sub-committee, said the committee has devised a holistic approach to alleviating crime called the National Community Empowerment Initiative (NCEI).

While addressing the Senate, he said the sub-committee is focusing on four major areas: social upliftment, economic empowerment, prevention and enforcement.

Senator Foulkes said major parts of the social upliftment initiative include a national mentorship program, volunteerism, faith-based partnerships and community youth activities.

The economic empowerment component will encompass training schools, apprenticeship and employment initiatives, and youth enterprise programs.
As it relates to the prevention component, Mr. Foulkes said it will include “CCTV, neighborhood crime watch, conflict resolution programs and urgent action by the Royal Bahamas Police Force”.

The enforcement component includes several new initiatives already announced by National Security Minister Marvin Dames, who is also a member of the committee.

Last month, Mr. Dames said despite governments spending millions of dollars on anti-crime programs and acquiring modern crime fighting tools, based on an ongoing review, “we have done a poor job of oversight and maintenance”, and though well-intentioned “they were not having the intended impact on crime”.

He said the government is exploring means to ensure individuals charged with multiple, similar offenses do not get bail. Additionally, he said, the government is looking at introducing curfew and zoning restrictions for offenders being monitored electronically.