Authorities Blame Gangs for the Bahamas’ Bloody Start to 2017 – Insightcrime.org

A wave of gang-related murders in the Bahamas has forced the military onto the streets, a worrying development in a country where violence is reaching critical levels.

The Caribbean archipelago of approximately 388,000 people has already seen at least 27 murders since the start of the year, with seven dead over the past weekend in the capital of Nassau,according to Tribune 242. If violence remains at this level, the murder count by the end of 2017 would hit 224 -- equivalent to a homicide rate of 57.77 per 100,000 inhabitants.

The crime spree has prompted the government todeploy the armyonto the streets to assist the police. National Security Minister Bernard Nottage announced this and anumber of other security measureson February 15, including increased foot patrols, lockdowns and raids of "crime hot spots," as well as the creation of a gun interdiction task force.

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Minister Nottage attributed most of the murders to feuds within a small group of "violent offenders...affiliated with gangs, guns and drugs."

But the response to this year's bloody events has been mixed. On February 13, Prime Minister Perry Christie described the situation as "reminiscent of the Wild West," and said the state had to respond by "flooding the streets with officers,"Caribbean 360 reported.

That same day, however, Police Commissioner Ellison Greensladetold the press: "It is a falsehood to tell the Bahamian public and the world at large that the Bahamas is in crisis, that is nonsense." He blamed the murders on youths who "have fallen through the cracks of our society," and assured law-abiding citizens they need not fear attack.

The Bahamas is not typically considered a major center of criminal activity, but if themurder rate continuesat its current pace it would becomparable to that of countries such as Honduras, which has long suffered from rampant insecurity in large part because of the strong gang presence there.

Disputes between gangs areoften drug related, and narcotics trafficking is a key concern in the Caribbean country. Locatedonly 50 milesfrom US shores, its 700 cays and islands make the Bahamas anoptimal transit pointfor illegal goods.

The security crisis also speaks to the authorities' struggles to respond to violent outbreaks. The mixed messages being presented by state institutions are a possible indication that the government is not totally united on the security front.Police officers are also frequenttargets of violence, as demonstrated by theshooting of two officersonly days ago. This factor could well be hindering the police's ability to combat criminal groups.

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Authorities Blame Gangs for the Bahamas' Bloody Start to 2017 - Insightcrime.org