Published On:Thursday, July 22, 2010

PLP chairman Bradley Roberts said the opposition responds with "great alarm" to the government's tendency to say crime in the Bahamas is largely drug related.

Mr Roberts said the public does not accept this excuse, as they know many armed robberies and murders have nothing to do with drugs.

Accusing Minister of National Security of being incapable of coping with the "levels of crime daily assailing citizens of the Bahamas", Mr Roberts noted that buying new police cars, while a positive step, does not solve crime.

He said: "The fact of the matter is that the minister of National Security is clueless and has no ideas. He is out of his league and must do the honourable thing and be gone.

"The PLP suggests to the government that it should immediately and fully reinstate the Urban Renewal and the School Policing Programmes.

"We note the concerns expressed in the media today by Dr David Allen, one of the authors of the Urban Renewal programme, about rising violence among teenage girls."

Mr Roberts added that churches should be better supported in their community outreach programmes and that recently cut government subsidies should be immediately restored to church schools, the Ranfurly Home, the PACE programme, the Crisis Centre, and other organisations fighting against poverty and attempting to improve education.

"Statistics show that poverty is directly related to crime. Statistics also show that goal oriented young people seldom become involved in criminal activity. Studies show that projects such as these do have positive impact and they ought to be immediately restored," Mr Roberts said.