NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The Free National Movement (FNM) on Thursday lambasted Opposition Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) leader Philip Brave Davis for recent comments he made about the Government’s use of ShotSpotter.
“This time…Brave Davis is taking aim at the Administration’s ongoing efforts to fight crime,” the FNM said in a statement released Thursday.
“Davis, who was a key leader in the previous government when the murder rate hit historic annual highs, year after year, has now re-made himself into the PLP’s safety patrol, claiming he knows best on crime-fighting measures, even though he failed to introduce or implement them when he held power. ‘Crime Expert’ Brave would have us believe the implementation of the ShotSpotter program is a wasted investment. Of course data and facts prove him wrong, but that won’t stop the PLP’s intrepid Brave Davis.
“It’s stunning how silent the woeful PLP has been on the issue of crime, given the Minnis Administration’s progress in reducing crime over the last two years; yet when they do chime in…it’s usually a broken-record type attack short on solutions, data, and policy, but high on heated and empty rhetoric. Brave did his PLP duty with his latest attack, he can check the box and go back to sleep.”
The FNM noted that Davis conveniently failed to mention the government’s success in bringing crime rates to their lowest point in nearly a decade.
The party also claimed that when the Minnis Administration took office in 2017, it inherited an absolute disaster in regards to police infrastructure and technology.
The party claimed that 80 percent of CCT cameras were inoperable and poor bandwidth limited the use of working cameras.
The FNM said the Minnis Administration immediately repaired 200 of the 243 cameras and will soon be putting additional cameras online.
“The ShotSpotter devices, which Brave [Davis] of course rails against, has alerted authorities to over 187 gunshot incidents since March of this year alone,” the FNM said.
“The Minnis Administration understands that more work remains in the effort to reduce crime, but Brave Davis should know, simply talking at the problem and making false claims for political expediency does nothing to add to the serious efforts taking place to make our neighbourhoods and communities safer.
“The Minnis Administration will continue improving the Police Force and remains committed to ensuring our police have the tools and resources they need to create a safe environment for all Bahamians,” the FNM’s statement concluded.
Loading ...
