Thursday, 19th September 2024

Half of the people killed in Bahamas this year were out on bail for homicides: Minister Munroe

The Bahamas National Security Minister Wayne Munroe has disclosed that nearly half of the persons killed this year were out on bail for homicide.

Monday, 27th June 2022

Half of the people killed in Bahamas this year were out on bail for homicides: Minister Munroe
The Bahamas National Security Minister Wayne Munroe has disclosed that nearly half of the persons killed this year were out on bail for homicide as the murder rate rises. His remarks came after a man, thought to be in his mid-30s, was fatally shot on Friday at a shopping centre on East Street, south of Robinson Road. According to Police Superintendent Audley Peters, the man was shot many times by a gunman who approached him before fleeing in a "little grey hatchback type vehicle." Since last Monday, there have been three fatal shootings. People could be alarmed by the recent spike in violence on our streets, according to Peters. "I want to reassure the people that the police are actively patrolling the streets in motorcycle vehicles and mobile patrol cars. Our resources are constrained in terms of where we can be, but we also have people patrolling the streets on foot," said the Minister. "What we try to do is put the right individual in a position in the different regions that we deem hotspots. They are not typically hotspot locations, which is how these instances would have occurred. They appear to be unique situations in which individuals are targeted and become homicide victims," Peters added.  Munroe stated earlier this month that there has been a 26% increase in killings so far this year. Minister stated in a previous interview before the most recent homicide on Friday that "30 of the 65 were persons on bail for homicide." Police officers are keeping an eye on people out on bail, according to Munroe. He asserted that more sophisticated electronic surveillance would be pricey. "If we wanted to spend millions yearly, we could tell them we need you to let us know where someone is every half hour. However, the kind of payments you would need to make to cover it would be prohibitively expensive, he said.