By Robert Andre Emmanuel
Leader of the Opposition Jamale Pringle said that Prime Minister Gaston Browne and his administration need to take accountability for failing to curtail crime.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne spoke on state media on Tuesday night, addressing the public on his government’s plans to arrest an ongoing streak of reported crimes in the nation, including gun-related activity and killings of young people.
The Prime Minister, in his speech entitled ‘Resolute in Protecting Our Nation: A United Stand Against Crime and Violence’, took some time to again criticise the opposition for “manufacturing excuses” and “giving comfort to these degenerates for their criminal behaviours” as well as the courts for what he sees as lenient sentencing guidelines.
However, Pringle told Observer that the Prime Minister’s speech tried to portray the situation like “a movie in which the Prime Minister has cast himself as Batman, swooping in to save the city”.
“This is a real-life crisis which we all must resolve safely and seriously together, so I am calling on the Prime Minister to seriously consider whether the sitting Commissioner is best suited to advance this crime-fighting agenda, given that the bulk of the force has lost confidence in him,” he said.
The Opposition Leader was alluding to a letter by the Police Welfare Association dated July 19 in which the association said that it was concerned about the police force’s direction under Commissioner of Police Atlee Rodney, and accusing the Commissioner of not having a proper transitioning plan in place.
The Prime Minister, in his address, has said the government will seek to enact increased penalties and tighten bail conditions for gun-related offences, and introduce anti-gang and juvenile curfew legislation.
Additionally, the government will also acquire two vessels for maritime surveillance, and 10 surveillance drones, more gun-sniffing dogs to identify illegal firearms, and provide training in the use of digital/AI technologies to enhance law enforcement capabilities.
“If a fraction of what he is promising had been done when the spike began, we would not be in this condition today.
“It is also interesting to note that the Prime Minister has rested no responsibility for our situation on the Minister of Public Safety, Sir [Steadroy] Cutie Benjamin, so again, instead of apologising for Minister Benjamin’s failure, the Prime Minister has chosen once again to attack the judiciary, [and] has conveniently ignored the fact that judges and magistrates operate within the laws enacted by the legislature,” Pringle expressed.
The Opposition Leader said that the situation has ballooned outside of the government’s ability to address it alone, calling for a national symposium bringing together community leaders and others to come up with a whole-of-society approach to the ongoing crime issue.
“We have a fundamental problem at this point, and this is out of the hands of the government, so it is time for stakeholders to come together so that we can go forward with a national crime-fighting agenda with the buy-in of critical interest groups,” he said.
The Prime Minister also claimed that there are 474 repeat offenders roaming the streets, many of them on bail, armed and dangerous, “pursuing a full-time career of crime and violence”.
Pringle, however, expressed that first-time offenders and juveniles being incarcerated with hardened criminals has worsened the situation.
He argued that the needed resources for police officers and law enforcement such as a forensic lab, the completion of the Boys’ Training School, and adequately supplying resources to the various police stations across the island should have been the priority.
