What is Hulan Hanna (Assistant Commissioner of Police, The Bahamas) Thinking?

by Jerome Pinder

In an article in today's Tribune "Police warning for Public frustrated with armed robberies," Assistant Commissioner of Police Hulan Hanna warns the Public of taking matters into their own hands.  If this is all he has to say on the matter, then he should have kept quiet.

What are business people left to do?  We have a group of bandits terrorizing this town, holding guns to the heads of innocent people threatening their very lives, and all he can do is issue a warning to the innocent public.  The top brass of the Police Force should be breaking down the walls of Cabinet demanding the Government put resources in place to back up their efforts on the street.  In addition, the Police Force should be pushing for Business Owners to have licensed fire arms at their premises to protect themselves, even if it involves annual training and certification.

Does anybody realize the state of the Justice system in this country?  We have had 79 murders so far for the year.  I do not classify the recent shooting as murder, this was actually justice served right on the spot.  How many cases of murder have been tried and prosecuted so far for the year?  Maybe 5 to 10.  What about the other 69/70?  When will they come to trial?  This delay will result in more persons out on bail.  When will we ever catch up on these cases?  Now consider the hundreds of armed robberies, when will all these cases be tried??  With all due respect to the visually impaired, a blind person could see that the system is broken. 

Despite the above we have a Government clueless about fixing the problem.  The current administration has done nothing in 2+ years to improve the system.  And now, we have a top law enforcement officer giving a warning to the public.  Well what does he want us to do?  Sit by and be slaughtered.

Quit frankly, Mr. Ferguson should be hailed as a hero for taking one thug off the street.  Every business owner should have the right to shoot an armed robber on their premises, without fear of prosecution. 

I pray these comments by Hulan Hanna are not an indication of things to come with the changing of the guard at the Royal Bahamas Police Force.  The criminals should be running from us, not us from them.  Hulan Hanna should concentrate on warning the criminals, not the innocent public. 

I have practically given up on the PM and his Cabinet.  Do we have to throw the Police Force in their as well?