The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement leader Michael Pintard said he is concerned that civil liberties and human rights will be affected by the “intrusive policing” Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said will come in response to the rising murder rate.

During a national address on Sunday, Mr Davis said police will not violate civil liberties, but the public will likely be affected by more roadblocks and “unannounced police action”.

Mr Pintard said yesterday: “In this work, there are many decent men and women on the police force, unfortunately, sometimes supervised by persons who are doing the bidding of this government, and we are deeply concerned that what the prime minister projects as going to be inconvenience may very well be an overreach into any number of people’s lives. They are already doing it to many of us, so we don’t expect very much from them, but we will challenge them at every turn, where they are making poor decisions.”

Mr Pintard connected the prime minister’s comment about intrusive policing to what he said has been police targeting of members of the opposition.

“So when I hear intrusive from the prime minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, I am deeply concerned about civil liberties and human rights,” he said. “This is an intrusive government that has very little regard for guardrails.”

He said the prime minister missed an opportunity to allay the fears of Bahamians and others who reside in The Bahamas.