The Tribune

By DANA SMITH dsmith@tribunemedia.net NATIONAL Security Minister Tommy Turnquest has "failed the entire nation" through his inability to stop crime, PLP leader Perry Christie said. Speaking at a Mt Moriah constituency rally on Saturday, Mr Christie encouraged the crowd to vote for PLP candidate Arnold Forbes, who is running against the incumbent Mr Turnquest. He placed blame on the FNM and Mr Turnquest for high levels of crime over the past five years. "Not only has Tommy Turnquest failed you as your member of parliament, he's failed the entire nation as minister of national security. "The statistics are terrible - murder records set in four out of five years, murders have doubled during this FNM term, hundreds of murders and rapes, thousands of armed robberies, violent crime up across the board," Mr Christie said. "Every violent crime leaves behind a terrible legacy - shattered lives, broken families, an angry community. The worst thing is that this tsunami of violence sweeping our nation was never inevitable. Because you know and I know, an important reason for the escalation of crime in the Bahamas is poor governance." According to Mr Christie, the FNM played politics when they ended "pioneering, award-winning" PLP anti-crime programmes such as Urban Renewal, Swift Justice, Witness Protection, and School Policing. "One sign a nation is in trouble is when a central government is so weak and ineffective it has no control over spreading criminality," Mr Christie said. "Tommy T has demonstrated time and again he is too weak and ineffective to put the brakes on crime." He claimed Mr Turnquest blamed senior police officers for crime and caused "highly experienced" law enforcement officers to be sidelined when they should have been on the front line. "Then he suggested we shouldn't be too concerned about the murders because it's all down to 'bad boys'. What kind of foolishness is that from the man who is supposed to be leading the nation's war on crime? "Does he even bother to find out about the murder victims - the pregnant woman, the pilot, the charity worker, the witness, the caring older brother, the struggling young mother... do those sound like 'bad boys' to you?" Mr Christie asked. Mr Turnquest also spoke Saturday at the Special Annual Service for Law Enforcement Officers and Civil Servants at Centreville Seventh-day Adventist Church. There, he thanked law enforcement officers, as well as civil servants, for their service to the country. "We must all continually offer encouragement and prayer for our law enforcement officers who we hold accountable for keeping and maintaining the peace in our society. "These officers lay their lives on the line daily to keep our communities safe," Mr Turnquest said. He also acknowledged the high crime levels and said it is up to the Bahamas as a whole to turn the tide. "We are all aware of the unacceptable level of crime and anti-social behaviour in our society and our law enforcement agencies are indeed doing their part to stem the tide, but it is incumbent upon all of us to play our part," he said. "Each of us must take our personal responsibility seriously, and those of us with children must accept parental responsibility. We must not condone wrong-doing in any form, we must not cloak criminals, and we must not accept or purchase stolen goods. "We must also not allow our children to roam aimlessly all hours of the day and night. Each of us, we have to do our part."