Senators yesterday locked horns for the second time in a week over the most recent crime statistics from police.Government Senator Diallo Rabain complained in the Upper Chamber about comments made by Opposition Senate leader Michael Dunkley to VSB television after Monday’s sitting.Sen Rabain said during discussion of the crime figures for the first quarter of 2012 on Monday that the seeds of Bermuda’s crime problem were sown under “years and years of social mismanagement” before the Progressive Labour Party came to power.Yesterday, he accused Sen Dunkley, from the One Bermuda Alliance, of describing his comments as a “lot of nonsense” when he was interviewed by the TV news afterwards.Sen Rabain suggested that was hypocritical since Sen Dunkley was a member of the parliamentary select committee on gang and gun violence and signed off on a report which said the Island continued to “wrestle in many ways with the weight of the legacies of our past and, in particular, legacies that stem from segregation and racism”.He questioned how the OBA politician could put his name to that report and then “rubbish” the remarks made by Sen Rabain.“I hope the Bermuda public sees this for what it is: posturing at its finest,” he said.Senate President Carole Ann Bassett warned the PLP Senator not to make personal attacks, prompting Sen Rabain to say: “I just feel we deserve better from our politicians.”Junior National Security Minister Jonathan Smith objected to the OBA saying on television after Monday’s Senate session that Government was manipulating the crime figures, which show an overall downward trend.“Manipulation of what?” he asked. “The figures released by the Commissioner of Police?”He accused the Opposition of claiming to conduct politics in a “new way” but reverting to “old tactics” of going on the attack to score points.Sen Smith also suggested Opposition leader Craig Cannonier was off-base to suggest in a recent statement that his party supported tougher sentences for offenders.“Legislators pass the legislation,” he said. “We let the judges and magistrates impose the sentences.”He added that the OBA had “no clue, no expertise and no plan” on national security.OBA Senator Michael Fahy denied that Sen Dunkley ever suggested anything in the select committee report on crime was rubbish.He said his party colleague was simply pointing out it wasn’t good enough for Government to say it couldn’t handle the challenges in the community and blame past administrations.Sen Fahy said the Opposition accepted the crime figures released by police but was well aware of public fear of crime and perception of safety.“At the end of the day, people are feeling unsafe in their homes,” he said. “The people of this country are fearful of crime. They are scared of what’s going on in their communities.”