The response to sporadic violence and even homicides in The Bahamas is mostly reactionary.  Every now and then, there have been public prayer meetings, vigils and a rash of comments in the media when multiple people are killed.  This happened again last Saturday when a few thugs created mayhem on Robinson Road in New Providence, killing two and wounding another five individuals. 

For criminals to open fire in public is horrible behaviour.  After the event there was an avalanche of criticism and anguish from the public.   Sociologists have long held the view that crime can indicate the fever chart of a sick society.  Some people now lament that the nation is in crisis.  Others ask, what is The Bahamas coming to?  The Police this week held walkabouts in the heartland communities accompanied by church leaders to demonstrate outrage and empathy.  All of this is reactionary.

There are some cold hard facts that the society must come to understand.  Among them are these:  First, The Bahamas is still a very peaceful place.  While Nassau has seen too many murders among young men, for the most part the rest of the country is safe and free from the type of violence seen in urban areas where the vast number of the population lives. 

There are roughly four hundred thousand people living in the entire Bahamas and so far, the murder rate for the year is 57.  In the Turks and Caicos Islands, a curfew was imposed a last week when a policeman was killed.  That British colony has recorded 24 homicides so far for the year 2025.   This should speak volumes on the size of the country and the population.  We submit that it is about how young people are socialized.

Second, the Royal Bahamas Police Force has been excellent in the investigation of murders and making arrests in The Bahamas. Their detective work has been exceptional in bringing accused perpetrators before the courts.  Too many of them are granted bail even though in some cases they have criminal records or have been accused of other offenses. This explains a broken criminal justice system which is widely known.

Third, the government has provided the necessary resources for policing and has announced the construction of a new prison and rehabilitation facility at Fox Hill.  We are warehousing young thugs who are not being rehabilitated. The rate of recidivism indicates this clearly.

There is no doubt that the Bahamian people, especially our leaders in the moralizing institutions have dropped the ball and have not responded well to the challenges of crime and violence in the society.  Homes are producing an assembly-line of young thugs and criminals as parents themselves have been delinquent imparting a value system that guided older generations of Bahamians.   Today parents and their children are motivated by materialism and believe that the acquisition of things is what makes for a good quality of life.  Hence young people are willing to get involved in all sorts of nefarious deeds.

Just over 50 years ago, the majority of Bahamians over-the-hill lived in clapboard houses without electricity and piped water to their homes.   They believed and knew that they were poor, but they had self-respect and cared for their neighbours.  Today, there has been a loss of community and a coarseness which has developed among our youth.  For them, good manners and common politeness are out of style.  There is a deterioration of the Bahamian culture caused mainly by the fusion of other cultures.  Our youth have embraced the worst of North America and neighbouring countries like Haiti.

Then the schools have not imbued our children with an education of what it means to be Bahamian and how to resolve conflicts.  So, they mimic what they see with violence on television, emanating from Hollywood.

Our churches which are supposed to teach the gospel of love and the examples of Jesus, the Christ, are not as effective in teaching Bahamians how to live that Christian lifestyle.  While in some quarters their proclamations of the scriptures are strong, examples of Christian living on a daily basis are weak and duplicitous. 

There was a time in New Providence when most churches kept evening divine worship services on a Sunday, “The Lord’s Day.”  Now, most of the churches are closed and in darkness, with the excuse that parishioners are afraid to attend night services.  The lame excuse is that they are afraid of crime.  Yet they attend a wide range of secular events at night.

Recently in an address at a “Love Thy Neighbour” event, Prime Minister Philip Davis asked the question:  What kind of country are we building?

He asked, “Are we teaching our children to love?  Are we forming communities based on care?  Or on control?  Are we lifting each other up?  Or waiting for the moment to tear each other down?”

Using the teaching of Jesus as a theme, the Prime Minister echoed the second and great commandment:  Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

He said, “we quote that scripture often, but I wonder how often we live it.  Because if we’re being honest — and I think church we should always be honest — we’ve lost something along the way.  We’ve become quick to judge, quick to condemn, quick to write people off.  And in doing so, we’ve hardened ourselves.  We’ve built walls where there used to be bridges, fences where there used to be porches and silence where there used to be song.”

Mr. Davis said as a country we are being tested, not just economically, not just socially, it’s testing our character.  It’s testing what we really believe about each other.  It’s testing whether we believe that being Bahamian is enough of a reason to care about someone else.

“Today, we don’t just argue — we attack.  We don’t just disagree, we despise.  It’s not enough for someone to be wrong in our eyes, now we must make them out to be wicked, corrupt, irredeemable,” said the Prime Minister.

The reduction of crime and violence in our society is necessary to protect The Bahamas brand.  Our country is still regarded as a good place for rest and relaxation with a people who are hospitable.  Protecting and preserving that brand must be a collective responsibility of every citizen.  While reacting to the bad behaviour of the criminal elements is necessary, we must all resolve to be agents of positive change.