Senator Jonathan Smith has urged people to “wake up” if they don’t think the police are doing enough to tackle gun crime.The Junior Minister of National Security said Government was working closely with the police by taking a “clear, methodical approach”.He said police officers were focused on catching and prosecuting criminals, and had recently had success in putting perpetrators behind bars.Mr Smith’s Senate comments followed Opposition claims that Government hasn’t got a plan to tackle serious crime.Shadow Minister Michael Dunkley had said Government would not get to grips with the Island’s gang violence problems until it started showing discipline, commitment and leadership.Five people have been shot dead so far this year, with 16 killed in the past two years.Mr Smith said: “When I hear people say there is no plan, no commitment, no leadership, no discipline, I’d say ‘wake up’.“I’d say to people to have a look at what is really going on. It’s very clear that the Country needs to get the message.“This Country needs to hear the truth … We have a very clear, methodical approach.“There is a plan, it’s in place and it’s working. Of course there will be bumps along the way, but we are doing what we can and making progress.”The former Police Commissioner said he was speaking so passionately because he’d “been on the front line for all those years”.He said Premier Paula Cox had purposely selected “two people who know better than most” when she named Wayne Perinchief as Minister of National Security and him as Junior Minister.Mr Smith listed some of the things Government was doing to tackle crime, including arming police with firearms, penalty zones for drug offences, community policing strategies, creating a DNA database and introducing stop-and-searches.Mr Smith said he understood it was Opposition’s job to question Government, but added: “Creating an impression that nothing is being done is wrong.“The people are not going to be fooled. I do believe the people know what is going on and I believe it’s important to tell the truth.“It’s very clear to me and very clear to this Country that the Government is committed to combating gang violence.”Mr Dunkley said he appreciated Mr Smith’s passion, but said he took exception to what was being said. He said Mr Smith hadn’t understood what he had been trying to highlight.“I’m not calling for the police to have a plan on fighting crime. I’m looking for an overall comprehensive plan about how we are going to deal with things.“I never said nothing is being done; yes the police are being very proactive.”Mr Dunkley highlighted how the PLP had also cut the police budget and had been in arbitration for three years over police contracts.He said “Band-Aid solutions” were also often offered to police problems, adding: “When the Band-Aid falls off, the problem is still underneath.”Mr Dunkley said tackling crime started with education and ended with the rehabilitation of offenders to stop them reoffending.He said: “The police can be in the middle fighting the fire, but we also need to have a front end to the plan and a back end to the plan. We need all of these three things together, without them we don’t have a comprehensive plan.“I am not going to let the government of the day off the hook. We all know the statistics on crime are going up and up and it’s taking a great deal of time to get on top of things.“If we do have a plan, show it to the people. I don’t see it yet.”