Friday, March 5, 2010

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Lawbreakers should be fearful The high level of violent crime in this country in recent years has led many Bahamians to feel unsafe in their homes. Honest, hardworking people are moving hastily from car to front door at nights, hoping to avoid the numerous robbers that operate - especially in New Providence. Two homicide records have been recorded within a three-year span and 2010 has had an ominous start with police already warning the public of a robbery and housebreaking spree. The penal code stipulates when citizens can use deadly force. For the prevention of, or for the defense of, self or another, the law allows citizens to use deadly force in regard to any of the following crimes: Treason; piracy; murder; manslaughter, except manslaughter by negligence; robbery; burglary; housebreaking; arson of a dwelling house or vessel; rape; forcible unnatural crime; dangerous or grievous harm. This list needs to be expanded to at least include some forms of stealing and car theft. Consideration also needs to be given to allowing, in defined circumstances, the use of deadly force against those who trespass on property containing a private residence. Lawmakers need to ensure that the law, the state and its agencies protect honest citizens. The serious backlog in our criminal justice system, by default, functions as protection for wrongdoers who know their matter will likely get lost in the confusion, preventing the imposition of a just punishment. This has made some offenders fearless and prolific. Honest citizens must now be further empowered to use deadly force to protect self, family and property from a horde of deviants who seem uninterested in conforming to social norms. As the honest work, thieves rest, waiting to take what was lawfully earned. Lawmakers also need to bring forward legislation mandating life sentences for repeat offenders. Too many people have been convicted in The Bahamas multiple times of stealing, housebreaking and shopbreaking only to be brought before the courts again to face the same charges. The Bahamas does not need broad three-strikes laws as exist in some American states. Why can't a housebreaker, who has been previously convicted of the offense, face a life sentence after being brought to court a second time to face the same charge? Property crimes such as housebreaking lead many victims to live in a state of terror and fear for some time after the event. Many then spend thousands of hard-earned dollars on alarm systems, burglar bars, security screens and cameras, to prevent the trauma from happening again. The state must now take the fight to criminals and it must empower citizens to do the same. Those who seek to make a living breaking the law must be made to know that the honest have had enough. Criminals in this country should be made to fear the consequence of molesting law-abiding citizens. Social welfare programs are important in the prevention of crime. However, severe sanctions for those who willfully violate the law are also a necessary part of the equation in this fight to prevent The Bahamas from becoming a place no one enjoys living in. Friday February 05, 2010