Murders drop by 21 percent

With 74 murders recorded in The Bahamas in 2020, there was a 21.3 percent decrease in murders compared to 2019, when 94 were recorded.

Of the murders in 2020, 59 took place on New Providence, representing a 25.3 percent decrease over the previous year when 79 were recorded on the island.

Grand Bahama also saw a decrease of 29 percent, with 10 murders recorded last year, compared to 14 in 2019. However, the five murders on the Family Islands represented an increase over only one recorded the year before.

The count represents the lowest murder count seen in the country since 2008.

Acknowledging that there is “still much work ahead of us”, Minister of National Security Marvin Dames yesterday highlighted the improved figures as a product of the hard work of law enforcement officers.

“This means that your persistence and 21st Century crime-fighting strategies supported by investments in technologies and officers’ commitment to their profession are working,” Dames said at a Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) service at Police Headquarters.

“In addition, with the assistance of your partners, both locally and abroad, you have successfully interdicted, disrupted and destabilized local and transnational crime organizations operating in The Bahamas, throughout the region and around the world.”

Over the course of the year, there were a number of measures, including curfews and lockdowns, to curb the spread of COVID-19 in The Bahamas. 

Some people believe these impacted the murder count.

The most stringent restrictions were early in the pandemic, from late March through May.

The first curfew, from 9.p.m to 5 a.m., came into effect on the night of March 20.

On March 24, a 24-hour curfew was implemented, with people allowed to leave their homes only if they were essential workers or for other necessities, such as grocery shopping.

Weekend lockdowns were also implemented, during which individuals, with the exception of essential workers, were not permitted to leave their homes.

The 24-hour curfew remained in place until the end of May, when it was changed to a 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew. Weekend lockdowns, however, remained in place until mid-June. 

Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle reported there were 36 murders in the country between January and June.

According to crime reports, 19 murders were recorded between March 21and June 30. One was in March, three in April, eight in May, and seven in June. 

After the country reopened in July, a brutal second wave of infections forced the return to stricter measures, including weekend lockdowns and an earlier curfew.

According to police, 12 murders were recorded  between July 1 and September 30, when the murder toll stood at 48. 

However, in the following three months, 26 murders were recorded – more than double that of the previous quarter.

Eleven murders were recorded in December alone, with five people murdered in the last three days of the month.

This is the third consecutive year that the murder count has been below 100.

The Bahamas recorded 91 murders in 2018 – a significant decrease compared to 2017, which saw 122 murders.

There were 61 murders in 2006; 78 in 2007; 73 in 2008; 85 in 2009; and 94 in 2010.

The murder count first hit 100 in 2011 with 127 murders, a record at the time.

In 2012 there were 111 murders; 119 in 2013; 122 in 2014; 146 in 2015, the highest recorded; and 111 in 2016.

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