The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement Chairman Michael Pintard has blasted the Christie administration for its “dereliction of duty” after the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s 2016 policing plan failed to reveal tougher crime fighting measures.

Prime Minister Perry Christie and senior Cabinet ministers have repeatedly promised stiffer crime measures would be introduced in 2016. It was expected that the commissioner would have unveiled some of these tougher initiatives.

Speaking to The Tribune yesterday, Senator Pintard explained that Commissioner Ellison Greenslade’s 2016 plan ought to be considered just one component of the government’s comprehensive plan to solve the country’s crime challenges and not be viewed as a standalone road map.

He said while police have reported that overall crime is down five per cent, there remains the sobering reality that both murders and rapes have increased.

This, he said, was sufficient ground for the prime minister to remove National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage and State National Security Minister Keith Bell from their positions as it is clear that they are both ill suited for their jobs.

Mr Pintard said when the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) came to power, it insisted that Urban Renewal, Swift Justice and Safe Bahamas would work in tandem to reduce crime, specifically murders.

Last year, the country recorded 149 homicides, according to The Tribune’s records. However on Wednesday, as he released 2015 crime statistics, Mr Greenslade said some of those killings had been classified as manslaughter cases and that police recorded 146 murders last year.

The 2016 policing plan involves many of the same initiatives as outlined in 2015. A few new ideas included plans to acquire a helicopter for rapid response to serious crime scenes, fleeing felons and for the patrol of hot spots.

The document also revealed plans to begin construction on a forensic science facility and acquiring unmanned aerial vehicles. Among the old ideas are plans to continue saturation patrols and extend the use of the existing closed circuit television programme (CCTV).

Mr Pintard said: “The government is responsible for leading the way in terms of crafting a comprehensive approach. That is what they seem to be missing when the public is looking for a crime plan to ensure their safety. The prime minister promised this new and improved crime plan, Dr Nottage forecast it and Mr Bell reiterated.

“The government must be held accountable because it is a clear example of a dereliction of duty.”

He continued: “The commissioner ought to be wise in his pronouncements of two things. He ought not be celebratory in any way about what was achieved in 2015, but ought to be sobered and measured in crediting the work of law enforcement in general.

“We must celebrate and continue to give reinforcement but never come across to the public that we are achieving some great result when that flies in the face of the facts and statistics.”

He said Bahamians should hold the government’s feet to the fire over its recent borrowing of $20m from the Inter-American Development Bank, which it said was to aid the fight against crime.

“They were asking for the equivalent of a blank cheque and at the time the government was making (an appeal) for those funds it did not have details. It’s unfortunate that the government has not determined in detail how it will earmark the funds.”

At a press conference on Wednesday, Mr Greenslade said last year was a “terrible and disgraceful” one with the country experiencing record numbers of murders, rapes and armed robberies.

While unveiling his policing plan for 2016, the commissioner said 2015 was a “very difficult year filled with crime challenges” for the RBPF.