Deputy Leader of the Free National Movement Loretta Butler-Turner yesterday charged that Prime Minister Perry Christie is "in over his head" when it comes to fighting crime and suggested that the government take "drastic measures" to reduce the level of violence in the country.
However, Butler-Turner did not say what those measures should be.
She was responding to Christie's admission that the government has "a lot of work to do" to reduce crime in the country and that his administration will now "go back to the drawing board" with its plan to fight crime.
Butler-Turner said she
was "flabbergasted" by Christie's admission.
"I think the prime minister clearly has realized that he is in over his head," she told The Nassau Guardian during an interview at her home.
"I think they have been back to the drawing board at least two times since they've come to office. They were ushered in on the promises that they had the answer to crime.
"I must add that they have two ministers of national security, one of whom, the junior minister Keith Bell, derailed the entire FNM administration on its poor performance with crime and to this day the only thing I have seen is that crime is escalating in this country.
"The government said they had the panacea, the magic bullet -- I'm sorry, no pun intended there -- but they had the answer to...bring crime to an irreducible level. Unfortunately, they sold the Bahamian people a dream."
The prime minister's statements on crime came after five people were murdered over the weekend.
According to police, a group of men in a silver Honda Accord went on a killing spree on Saturday night, murdering three men in separate incidents.
On Sunday night, another man was shot in Nassau Village and died in the hospital.
The following morning, Bahamas Information Services Deputy Director Latore Mackey, 37, was shot dead on Market Street.
Police said he was found slumped over in the driver's seat of his government-issued vehicle around 4:30 a.m.
The killings drove the murder count up to 83 for the year so far.
According to The Nassau Guardian's records there were 72 murders this time last year, which means that the murder count has increased by 12 percent.
Butler-Turner said it has become clear that the government has no idea how to respond to crime.
"This government is clueless when it comes to having the answers to crime," she said. "It's more about showboating and talking.
"There is no real action plan with regard to crime."
The government has announced several crime-fighting initiatives in the last year. The plans included adding members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force to the fight against crime, placing police on 12-hour shifts, and expanding the CCTV program, among other things.
Asked what her recommendation to the government would be, Butler-Turner said: "I think that drastic times call for drastic measures.
"That's all I would say. There are things that can be done. They know what can be done. They know where most of the criminals are...there has got to be greater intel done."
Butler-Turner said the Free National Movement is willing to share the responsibility in the crime fight.
"The opposition has offered to sit with the governing party to see if we as Bahamians can come together as a united force to demonstrate that we can not take any more of this crime," she said.
"Essentially we are willing to go all in because it's not about the PLP, it's not about the FNM or any other political party.
"This is about us trying to help to fight the crime issue and save our country."
The FNM administration also struggled to battle high levels of crime.
The prime minister said he intends to meet with law enforcement officials over the next few days.
He said those meetings may lead to the government developing other crime strategies.
"We cannot compromise on the safety and security of our citizens," Christie said.

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