By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip Davis acknowledged that fraudulent voter identification could still “fall through the crack” in the upcoming general election but insisted authorities have strengthened enforcement and are actively pursuing those involved in document fraud.

His remarks came after a Haitian man was sentenced to one year in prison this week for possessing and using a fraudulent voter’s car and National Insurance Board card.

Asked whether incidents like this raised concerns as the country heads toward the polls, Mr Davis said law enforcement agencies are actively addressing the issue and urged the public to report suspected cases.

“We are enforcing our laws,” he said. “If you know about anyone who is not entitled to have a document that they shouldn’t have, report it to the police. The police are vigilant.

“The reason why you know about it is because the police did their job, able to arrest someone. So if you know anything about any complaint about fraudulent documents, you have that information, don't let us just talk about it. Report it to the police.”

“The police have a whole team that's been investigating these matters for the last two years. That's why we're able to have over what, close to 30 or 40 people before the courts now for fraudulent passport. If we were laxed about these things, would they have been arrested?”

Pressed on whether some people could evade detection, a concern rival political parties have emphasised this election season, Mr Davis acknowledged the limits of enforcement but said the government has taken steps to minimise any gaps.

“Let us start from the premise right, that we’re all humans,” he said. “We are humans. And human ingenuity is such that there will be things that fall through the crack. We are doing everything possible in our power to ensure that no one falls through the crack.

“We're doing everything in our power. We have strengthened our police force. We have strengthened our immigration, our borders. We've done all those things to ensure that there'll be no slippage.”