Homicide in The
Bahamas
On January 20, 2006, as the first
Research Edge Forum of the New
Year, Det. Cpl. Chaswell Hanna
of the Royal Bahamas Police
Force presented findings from
his descriptive study, Homicide
in The Bahamas 1991 2003. An
alumnus of COB and present
adjunct lecturer in the School of
Social Sciences, Det. Cpl. Hanna
spent two years collecting data for
his study and held his audience
of students, faculty and staff
enthralled for the duration of his
90-minute presentation. He was
at pains to inform his audience
that this research was


to be the foundation on which
future and more analytical
studies into homicide in this
country would be based. Some
of the more memorable statistics
communicated were that 69%
of murder cases in the Bahamas
are solved; seven out ten murders
are committed by people who
know their victims; in 2005, six
murder victims had previously
been charged with murder, but
had not been convicted. Further,
Hanna revealed that in The
Bahamas murder cases are never
administratively closed. Det. Cpl.
Hanna ended his presentation to
warm, appreciative applause. U


 John Rood, United
States Ambassador to
The Bahamas made
his first official visit
to The College of The
Bahamas in December,
calling on Acting President Dr
Rhonda Chipman-Johnson and
other members of COB's senior
administration. Accompanied
by Michael Taylor, US Embassy
Political Officer, and Mrs.
Kathryn Gibson, Public Affairs
Specialist, Mr. Rood promised
to assist The College in several
of the areas of need indicated
by the administrators and spoke
of Florida Governor Jeb Bush's
desire to do the same.
 Ambassador Rood, who has
been a visiting lecturer at Florida
State University, spoke of his
enduring interest in


17.. The College of The Bahamas