Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Chairman Bradley Roberts said yesterday the party is disappointed in the Free National Movement's (FNM) candidate for Mount Moriah, former Deputy Commissioner of Police Marvin Dames, who said he believes the country's current approach to fighting crime is "wrong".

Dames responded to Roberts, saying, "As usual, blood is on the streets and all Bradley Roberts is concerned about is politics."

Dames said recently that a Minnis administration would focus on fighting corruption, strengthening intelligence and building community relationships with officers.

But Roberts said he has failed to present any new ideas.

"Clearly, Marvin Dames, the parachuted FNM candidate, has emerged as the opposition spokesperson on crime when one reviews the various statements he has made about crime," Roberts said. "But what have we heard? To date, we have not heard one new idea, no, not one.

"In fact, his so-called recommendations are either already existing government policy and settled law or are mere repetitions of initiatives pronounced by Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade in the police force's anti-crime plan."

Last Friday, Free National Movement Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis called on the Christie adminstration to "act" after 14 murders were recorded in November. But Roberts said Minnis "does not have any new suggestions" either.

"Mr. Dames' leader, Dr. Hubert Minnis, is prancing up and down in the media complaining about how the government needs to produce a crime plan and [is] lamenting about how the government is not serious about crime," the chairman said.

"On the eve of the 2017 general election, Dr. Minnis now has his 'in house crime expert' (Dames) to deliver the plan he keeps complaining about and the best Minnis' 'in house crime expert' could muster is to repeat the anti-crime policies of the PLP government and the crime plan of his former colleague who beat him out for the top job at the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF).

"The Bahamian people thought Minnis could do better than this.

"Instead of rolling up his sleeves and working with Commissioner Greenslade as the consummate goal oriented team player and public servant, Dames left the police force in a huff for more money in the private sector, only to return to offer nothing to the national dialogue on crime.

"His appointment by Dr. Minnis is at best dubious and questionable."

Roberts was referring to Dames' resignation from the police force back in 2011.

He moved to Baha Mar where he served as vice president of security.

In a statement responding to Roberts yesterday, Dames said, "When I left the Royal Bahamas Police Force in 2011, you had a police force that [had] the full support of an administration that did not see fit to insert its political machinations into our fine military organizations.

"The PLP has since made a mockery of our force - rehiring those already put out to pasture, creating a secret agency under the guise of intelligence that operates outside the ambit of law, allowing political concerns to trump the integrity of service."

Dames pledged: "When the Free National Movement returns to power, we will approach crime as the scourge that it is. We won't take the anecdotal approach that the current administration has adopted, that crime is no longer a major concern. We will unshackle the commissioner of police, and remove the undue and unwise political interference that has plagued our force."

Jayme C. Pinder, Guardian Staff Reporter

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