With the country’s murder count nearing the 100 mark, Democratic National Alliance (DNA) Leader Branville McCartney criticised the government for its deafening silence towards crime, which he said has caused the country to become “hell.”

“We are living in damn hell in this country,” McCartney said during a press conference yesterday.

“This is a disgusting country,” he added, as Bahamians, particularly on the island of New Providence, are “scared as hell” to come out their houses.

McCartney explained that the country is not safe and it seems as though the government isn’t doing anything to address the issue of crime.

“Nothing is being said after 95 murders in this country by this government who said that they were going to deal with crime,” he said.

“This government campaigned on saying that they were going to fix the problem. I don’t want to hear any foolishness from any person saying the government can’t fix it. Hell yes, you can.”

Contrary to what many are led to believe, McCartney said crime can be curbed, but it’s up to the government.

McCartney added that he believes the government has the ability to help with the crime problem plaguing the nation because it has been done in other countries around the world.

“They can enforce the law. They can stop interfering with the commissioner of police and his men. They can stop interfering with the judiciary. They can ensure that there are laws that are in place to carry out the death penalty.”

McCartney also called for Minister of National Security Bernard Nottage to be fired from his job for being ineffective.

“The Minister of National Security has not said anything since November when he was putting a national plan in place for crime,” McCartney said. “He needs to go.”

Last week there were five murders in less than one week.

McCartney expressed that once his party becomes the winning party in the 2017 general election, addressing the crime issue will be at the top of his list.

“You will respect the law of this country, from the small, minute laws, to the most heinous crimes that you commit,” he said. “You will respect the law under a DNA government and if you don’t respect the law, there will be no doubt, you will respect the Lord.”

Two months ago, while speaking at the fifth annual United States-Caribbean High-Level Citizen Security Dialogue (HLCSD), Prime Minister Perry Christie said he was being “subjected to walking on eggshells” despite his claims of wanting “the madness on our streets to end.”

Murders in the first five months of 2015 in The Bahamas were up by five per cent compared to crime statistics from January 1 to May 31 last year sitting at 63 as opposed to 60.

Before the 2012 general election, the Christie administration campaigned on the promise that it had the required solutions to end the dilemma of crime hovering over the country. However, in each of the administration’s three years in office, there has been a rise in murders compared to previous year.

During his budget communication the prime minister said the government planned to invest a “significant” amount of money in the Royal Bahamas Police Force in an effort to boost its presence and visibility around New Providence. He stressed that crime remained one of the greatest issues facing the country.

“Investments in police equipment, in the form of cars, surveillance and protection equipment are highlighted in this year’s capital budget,” he said.