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T R I B U N E 2 4 2 . C O M
Biggest And Best!
Volume: 123 No. 200, Friday, September 11, 2026
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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE UP MORE THAN 125% Domestic cases rise as police see sharp increase in sexual offence cases By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net DOMESTIC-RELATED cases more than doubled in the first half of the year, surging 125 percent to 825 reports, while sexual offences also increased by 13 percent, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s mid-year crime report. The domestic figures represent a sharp acceleration
from last year, when 367 cases were recorded during the first six months of 2025, compared with 317 over the same period in 2024 — an increase of 16 percent. Several categories of domestic-related incidents recorded triple-digit increases this year. Domestic-related assaults rose 118 percent, from 94 cases to 205, while assaults with a deadly weapon ABUSE - SEE PAGE THREE
ARMED ROBBERIES JUMP 25% DESPITE OVERALL CRIME DECLINE By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Chief Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net MAJOR crime fell six percent in the first half of the year, driven by sharp declines in vehicle theft, shopbreakings and other property offences, even as armed robberies surged 25 percent and crimes against the person increased, according to Royal
Bahamas Police Force statistics. Preliminary figures covering January through June show 1,153 major crimes were recorded, down from 1,223 during the same period last year. The figures were published on the RBPF’s website rather than presented at a typical mid-year CRIME - SEE PAGE THREE
BAHAMA Rock employees gather outside the company’s Grand Bahama compound yesterday after walking off the job to press for government approval of a proposed expansion they say is needed to keep the plant operating and protect more than 80 jobs. Workers say about 84 employees face temporary lay-offs during an expected 60-day shutdown.
BAHAMA ROCK WORKERS CALL ON GOVT TO HELP SAVE JOBS By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net WORK ground to a halt at Bahama Rock yesterday as employees walked off the job to press the government to approve a proposed expansion they say is needed to keep
the Grand Bahama plant operating and protect more than 80 jobs. The protest comes as Bahama Rock, owned by Martin Marietta, nears the end of its current dredging operations and prepares for a temporary 60-day shutdown that workers said will send about 84 employees home.
The company is seeking government approval to acquire and mine about 290 acres at the site of the former Bahamas Cement plant, but the proposal has faced concerns from nearby residents over blasting, dust and noise. PROTEST - SEE PAGE FIVE
MENTAL HEALTH SAFE HOUSES PLANNED FOUR YEARS AFTER ACT By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH OWEN WELLS
NEARLY four years after Parliament passed sweeping legislation to overhaul mental health care in The Bahamas, the government is preparing to buy two safe houses for people with severe mental health challenges living on the
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
streets — but has given no clear timeline for when the facilities will open. Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness Owen Wells said yesterday that his ministry intends to seek Cabinet approval to purchase separate facilities for men and women, acknowledging that SAFE - SEE PAGE FOUR