Bahamas political parties clash over crime plans

As unofficial campaigning heats up ahead of the next general election, the Bahamas’ two main political parties are at odds over which has the better plan to tackle crime in the country. While the next election is constitutionally due by September 2026, it is widely expected to be held before that date.

The ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) dismissed the crime plan of the opposition Free National Movement (FNM) as “recycling of ideas that are already being acted on.” In a statement, the PLP highlighted the Davis administration’s five-pillar strategy, which it said is being implemented nationwide, resulting in a sharp drop in major crimes, record seizures of firearms in partnership with international partners, and disruptions of gang networks. The party also cited progress in clearing court backlogs and increasing convictions.

FNM leader Michael Pintard, launching his party’s 10-point crime plan on Sunday, countered that the PLP lacks a comprehensive strategy. The FNM plan, he said, focuses on hiring and retaining more police officers, restoring trust in law enforcement, broadening community policing, modernizing the force, addressing court backlogs and bail abuses, expanding rehabilitation programs, and investing in crime prevention.

“They are not promises for tomorrow, they are actions we will take under an FNM government to make our communities safer and give our young people better choices,” Pintard said. He also promised reforms to strengthen independent oversight, commission a full review of policing, expand virtual court hearings, build a modern forensic lab, and modernize firearms legislation to address high-powered weapons, 3D-printed guns, and ghost guns.

Pintard said the FNM would also review sentencing and the Bail Act to ensure prolific offenders face stricter monitoring and tougher consequences, particularly in response to gun crime and rising sexual violence against women and children.

The PLP pushed back, warning that ignoring current crime-fighting efforts “insults the hard work of the police officers who put their lives on the line every day,” and said the party “stands with the Bahamian people, who deserve more than empty rhetoric.”

Official crime data supports the PLP’s claims of progress. Commissioner of Police Shanta Knowles reported in July that overall crime dropped 14 per cent in the first half of 2025, with 1,223 cases compared to 1,420 during the same period in 2024. Murders fell 26 per cent, from 60 to 44, with 64 per cent of those cases solved. Most victims, 84 per cent, were between 18 and 45 years old.

With both parties emphasizing law enforcement, court efficiency, and community safety, crime policy is expected to remain a central issue in the lead-up to the next election.