By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis admitted his administration’s efforts to tackle social ills have not significantly reduced crime rates.

He said despite efforts of successive administrations, crime remains a “stubborn” problem in The Bahamas.

Highlighting initiatives his administration has launched, he said: “None have yet produced the downturn we would like to see.”

“Our approach must be strong,” he said during the budget debate in the House of Assembly. “We must send a message to all of the criminal elements in our society that they will no longer be allowed to hold law-abiding citizens hostage with fear. Our response must also be holistic and focused on the cultural and social maladies that have contributed to this epidemic of violent crime.”

Mr Davis said the government would continue to fight crime by increasing resources and investing in social interventions.

He said his administration would provide more support for domestic violence victims.

“We have finalised details and will move forward with our plans to build a women’s shelter and provide increased legal aid for victims of domestic violence,” he said. “We will also allocate more resources for the social support of domestic violence victims. It has already taken too long for these initiatives to be done and we will prioritise the launch of these initiatives as soon as is feasible.”

“Violence against women is a major issue within this nation and I want to reassure our Bahamian women that we are very serious about starting these initiatives within this fiscal year.”

On illegal immigration, Mr Davis said: “What we must not do is allow the seeds of xenophobia, hatred, classism, sexism and racism take root in our politics.”

“We have come too far as a people, too far as a nation, to allow demagogues to cheapen the quality of our national discussions with nasty and divisive rhetoric. This is not to say that Bahamians do not have a right to be passionate about these issues or even angry.

“It is also not to say that Bahamians shouldn’t hold the government accountable to do its part –– we welcome accountability. But we don’t welcome hatred and violence in any form. I ask all right-thinking Bahamians to join us in elevating our national dialogue and condemning the hate that has emerged in certain small pockets of our society.”