By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday criticised the Ministry of National Security’s consultants on their “ineffective” performance in helping to address the country’s crime problem, saying the workers are “receiving the people’s money” but are not producing the desired results.

Dr Minnis also accused the Davis administration of not having a workable plan to deal with the nation’s rising crime and said at this rate, this year’s murder count will no doubt outpace last year’s tally of 119.

“It will surpass last year’s numbers. That’s not a debate,” the Killarney MP told The Tribune yesterday. “But I would say that the PLP has failed to deliver a crime plan that works. Killings continue. New Providence is becoming increasingly lawless, but we have a lawless government.”

“A government who would not produce a report, an investigative report in terms of its own minister that’s accused of (alleged) assault of a police officer and...a government that has not been following the Public Procurement Act so we have a lawless government so what do you expect society to follow.”

 This year’s murder count currently stands at 113, according to The Tribune’s records. This comes after four people, including two women, were shot and killed between Saturday and Monday.

 The other two victims were men on bail for serious crimes, this newspaper understands.

 Yesterday, Dr Minnis said the Bahamian people are tired of the senseless killings and called on the prime minister and those engaged by his government to do their jobs so Bahamians can feel safe.

 “It is the responsibility of the prime minister to lead the policy response to crime and all the prime minister likes to do is travel to get away from his responsibilities and I want to further say that we’re having a crime crisis in New Providence and the prime minister is abandoning his post to take a large contingent to Egypt on a conference and that is certainly not leadership.

 “The British prime minister has decided that he will stay at home as opposed to going to a conference because he has issues within the UK that he has to deal with and then the Bahamian people must continue to pressure the government to deliver a sensible crime (plan), that we as a people cannot accept this level of killing and violence in New Providence.”

 He also had similar words for consultants in the Ministry of National Security. One of them is popular talk show host Rodney Moncur.

 Pastor Carlos Reid, another consultant at the ministry, said last month that officials have been doing consistent mediation between rival gangs.

 He also revealed plans to start the government’s “violence interrupters” initiative, saying once the programme is up and running it will help reduce crime in the country.

 Still, for Dr Minnis, not enough has been done.

 “Obviously those consultants are not producing, they are receiving the people’s money but they are not producing because crime, violence and violent crimes and murders are going up,” the former prime minister said.

“When you look at the FNM’s track record in 2017, the murder count was 122. In 2018, the murder count was 91, violent crime was also down. In 2019, the murder count was (96), violent crime was also down. In 2020, the murder count was 73 and though they may say the pandemic did this, but look at the record, it was coming down even before the pandemic.”

 “It’s clearly demonstrated that the FNM under the Minnis administration had some degree of control on the crime and violence. It was coming down, but now we’re dealing with a lawless government and the people are being led by a lawless government.”

 Free National Movement deputy leader, Shanendon Cartwright also weighed in on the issue yesterday, saying that while he understands that crime is a multifaceted issue, there needs to be some sort of government intervention.

 He continued: “We said to the government to come up with a multifaceted solution that involves all stakeholders in society but the government must lead and it seems as though the government is paralysed to deal with this issue as bodies continue to drop throughout the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

 “Bahamians are outraged as they should be. You look at the carnage this weekend and it almost seems unfortunately that every other day and every weekend, phones are lit up and social media about another one, two or three murders in this country so we believe that the government in this regard is failing the Bahamian people on the issue of crime.”