Retired Baptist Bishop Simeon Hall said Saturday that while he commends National Security Minister Dr. BJ Nottage’s recent announcement to roll out new crime fighting initiatives, he believes this plan is “too soft” and does not go far enough.

In a press release sent out this weekend, Bishop Hall said he is disappointed that this new plan does not address the judiciary, especially as it relates to repeat offenders and the Bail Act.

“Repeat offenders are at the core of our crime problem and Dr. Nottage new crime plan does not send a strong message to criminals,” he said.

“Dr. Nottage’s crime plan is too soft and I saw nothing to address the disconnect between the arrest record of the police and the promised Swift Justice by the judiciary.”

Bishop Hall added that he was also disappointed that Dr. Nottage’s plan did not take into account some of the suggestions made by the citizens made at the recent forum that he called.

On Friday, Dr. Nottage held a press conference where announced a slew of new measures to help with the crime fight including more personnel added to the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s (RBPF) firearms unit and the Central Detective Unit (CDU), cancelling all scheduled functions for the RBPF Pop Band and having those officers patrol the streets.

Dr. Nottage also announced that the government will be deploying 150 Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) officers to assist the police and increasing police officers’ work shifts from eight hours to 12 hours.

“The presence of more police in the community will certainly help and will lead to more arrests,” Bishop Hall added. “But while the arrest record of the police is outstanding it is our court system that Dr. Nottage ought to have addressed.”

During an eight-day period, from August 30 to September 5, seven people were murdered in The Bahamas.