A mere months away from the next general elections, now since that the boundaries report has been tabled under suspicious circumstances, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) releases a new crime plan in an attempt to make good on a promised that they have failed to fulfill and my only thought is, AGAIN?!

“RBDF to join crime fight” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “The Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) is being called on to work with police to fight crime in response to a recent round of violence on New Providence that has left many people calling for authorities to take stronger action.

Minister of National Security Dr. Bernard Nottage outlined a set of crime-fighting measures in the House of Assembly yesterday, two days after Prime Minister Perry Christie likened the situation in New Providence to ‘the Wild West’.

Between Friday night and Monday morning, seven men were shot dead on the island.

Nottage said that in all cases in which people have been charged with possession of an illegal firearm and/or ammunition, the prosecution will object to bail.

There are also plans for the increase in foot patrols in crime hot spots; the aggressive stop and search of suspicious people and vehicles; and the activation and placement of specially designed mobile police vans to serve as manned police stations in communities where violent crimes take place.

Nottage said the police force has two such specially designed vans.

This was the first time the national security minister has publicly addressed the recent crime spree.”

The first thing I would advise of the police officers, get your money sorted out before you work any extra hours, because the Minister of State for National Security, the Hon. Keith Bell, already has an appeal in the courts at this very moment to not pay you for the overtime that you have already worked when the government tried these ‘new’ crime measures before, because let us be truthful, the Minister of National Security, as he finally breaks his silence on the recent crime spree, seems to be repeating most the same crime initiatives that he has tried before and that failed but then went on to blame the Commissioner of Police and those under his command for the initiatives failing.

Now the Minister of National Security hints at the implementation of some sort of curfew and ‘aggressive police stops’ of ‘suspicious’ vehicles or persons, I think this idea was kicked down the road a few times but it has yet to be worked out just how you would implement the lock down of the entire country or crime ‘hot spots’ and how would this reduce crime; because this does not change criminal behavior, as it only eliminates the opportunity for crime.  Then, of course there is the problem of young men feeling targeted and beginning to think it is now ‘us against them’, as the Minister of National Security has never mentioned, to my recollection, the fostering of a friendly relationship between the community and the police which is a very important tool in the reduction of crime and criminal activity.  What has not worked is this concept of community policing; wherein the police show up on foot patrol only when a ‘new crime plan’ is released, there is no consistency to it and therefore no true fostering of a genuine and trusting relationship between the people of any community and the police especially in the inner cities or areas marked as ‘crime hot spots’.

So, in my opinion the Minister of National Security, Dr. Bernard Nottage, has ‘missed the boat’ on this again, along with his entire administration and as they now stand on the verge of all out civil unrest they now have gone back to a crime plan that has failed them in the past to give the appearance that they are actually doing something, when they are actually not and at the point of making things a lot worst.

The Progressive Liberal Party fails for one reason, it is their nature.

END