After an active crime weekend, with police officers on back to back murder scenes, in which two men were killed in cold blood, Free National Movement Chairman Sidney Collie said the government’s solutions for crime are not working.
Mr. Collie said in a statement, that only a few days after National Security Minister Dr. Bernard Nottage declared that crime is down, “sons and daughters are being killed on our streets”.
He added that Dr. Nottage is heavily protected by police and other security personnel, and therefore, he is oblivious to how unsafe Bahamians are; adding that he (Dr. Nottage) may not even care.
“Whether it is night or day – the Bahamian people do not feel safe inside or outside their homes,” said Mr. Collie.
“Two weeks ago the ‘Minister of National Security’ was explaining away a weekend of multiple murders as ‘unusual’ before a chorus of backlash from the people forced him to backtrack. And just this week he declared that crime is down, yet every day this week the news has been filled with more brutal murders. On the very day he gave this speech two more Bahamian sons were viciously gunned down,” he added.
Mr. Collie insisted that the government is hiding behind statistics, while it refuses to face the distraught family members of murder victims.
“The PLP refuses to face the mother that lost her son, or the young lady that was sexually assaulted, and tell them that things are getting better and that they should feel safe,” Mr. Collie lamented.
The FNM chairman added that the PLP views murder victims as mere numbers, as opposed to spending time to offer solutions to the crimes.
“We in the FNM believe our people are more than numbers. To the PLP those that are murdered on our streets are just numbers, to the FNM they are tragic victims of a leaderless government that spends more time on numbers than on truly solving problems. The Bahamian people deserve better. They deserve a Government that will offer solutions to fix our crime epidemic not just spend all their time trying to convince us all is well. We believe every Bahamian life matters and we will fight for them every day,” Mr. Collie said.
On Friday afternoon around 3p.m., police officers were called to the Hampton Street murder of Dion Fitzgerald, 35.
Fitzgerald was shot and transported to the hospital where he later succumbed.
Less than 24 hours, around 7 a.m. on Saturday morning, officers were called to the Elizabeth Avenue stabbing death of Rozario Palacious, 35.
So far, no suspects have been taken into custody for these latest incidents.
