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| Hall praises govt in crime fight |
Royston Jones Jr.
Guardian Staff Reporter royston@nasguard.com
Published: Aug 17, 2012
Former Chairman of the National Advisory Council on Crime Bishop Simeon Hall said the Christie administration’s efforts in the fight against crime in its first 100 days give “cause to rejoice”. Hall, who chaired the commission under the previous administration, applauded the government’s approach to crime fighting. “I want to give [Prime Minister Perry] Christie and his government, especially the Ministry of National Security, high marks for the apparent dent they have placed in crime,” said Hall while addressing the Rotary Club of Nassau East on Wednesday, the 100th day since the Progressive Liberal Party’s (PLP) victory at the polls. “The overwhelming onslaught of criminal activities seem to have diminished, and if the next few months are anything like these [first] 100 days, we will have just cause to rejoice even more.” Crime, particularly murder, has dominated public discourse, and has been a contentious issue in the public arena. There were four murder records over the last five years. In 2011, 127 murders were recorded. So far this year, 78 murders have been recorded. Shortly after the Christie administration took office key aspects of its crime fighting strategy were implemented, including the Urban Renewal 2.0 and Swift Justice programs. Urban Renewal 2.0 has mandated increased police walkabouts and seen the destruction of numerous derelict buildings that police have said are hubs for criminals to store drugs, illegal weapons and conduct other illegal activities. Police reported earlier this month that crime was down nine percent in the first seven months of the year compared to the same period in 2011. As noted by The Nassau Guardian yesterday in its assessment of the Christie administration’s first 100 days in office, the government in its 2012/2013 budget set aside $15 million for Urban Renewal 2.0 and other social programs. On June 4, a revamped Urban Renewal program was launched. Not long after, the program was also reintroduced at six centers in Grand Bahama. In July, an Urban Renewal Commission co-chaired by former parliamentarians Cynthia Pratt and Algernon Allen was created. |
