By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis yesterday accused Free National Movement Leader Michael Pintard of plagiarising a crime plan his party released more than a decade ago.

“Well, I thank them for reminding me of our plans!” Mr Davis said yesterday. “It is a regurgitation of what we have already been saying over many, many years.

“I think I could go back as far as July, I suspect July 2011, when we put out a crime plan and it seemed to be a plagiarism of that, but we welcome the fact that he’s able to embrace what we have said, and we welcome the fact that he will be pursuing the same issues and the same initiatives that we have laid out for the issue of dealing with the crime.”

Mr Davis’ comments came in response to a press conference where Mr Pintard unveiled a ten-point plan to tackle violent crime, while accusing the Progressive Liberal Party of corruption, failed leadership, and awarding contracts to people allegedly tied to criminal networks.

National Security Minister Wayne Munroe also said the Opposition’s proposals were recycled ideas already being implemented under the government’s Five Pillar Strategy. He said crime has been steadily declining, with major crimes falling in both 2023 and 2024, record numbers of illegal firearms seized, and more police officers and defence force marines added to the ranks

Mr Pintard said Bahamians were living in fear as murders and other violent crimes continued to threaten families and communities. He claimed murders had increased by nearly 40 percent under the Davis administration compared to the FNM’s years in office, rising from an average of 86 a year to 119.

“That means thirty more Bahamians are dying every year,” he said. “And yet this government has failed to put forward a coordinated, credible crime strategy. Their silence is deadly.”

He also pointed to the recent US travel advisory warning about robberies, burglaries and sexual assaults, and cited the indictment of 13 people, including police and defence force officers, as well as the armed robbery of the deputy commissioner of police.

The FNM leader pledged that his party would not award contracts to anyone with criminal ties and challenged the Prime Minister to make the same commitment. His plan included a recruitment drive to address police shortages, upgraded training, leadership and technology, and efforts to clear court backlogs through virtual hearings. He also proposed creating a modern forensic lab, strengthening specialised courts, and reviewing sentencing laws to address gun crime and sexual violence.

Mr Pintard said an FNM government would appeal questionable bail decisions, impose stricter conditions on repeat offenders, expand rehabilitation programmes, and separate young offenders from hardened criminals. Other measures included victim support services, prevention initiatives targeting gangs and drugs, and revitalising communities through expanded neighbourhood watch programmes and a restructuring of Urban Renewal.