The Progressive Labour Party has criticised the Government for failing to implement Operation Ceasefire and for reducing the size of the police force.

A statement released by Walter Roban, the Shadow Minister of National Security, stated last night: “Do not be fooled by announcements by Premier Dunkley and his Minister of National Security, Jeff Baron, that the OBA budget has been increased to allow for the hiring of additional, new officers.

“The officers due to be hired are merely filling existing vacancies left unfilled for years because of OBA budget cuts. These vacancies are known as established positions and they were approved by the legislature many years ago.

“The real facts are that the OBA government has reduced the size of the Bermuda Police Service from 560 in 2013 to 518 next week.

“The bottom line is that the Commissioner of Police has struggled to fill police positions because the OBA has consistently reduced his budget.

“This year’s OBA budget allocates $1.4 million less to the BPS than when first elected on a platform promise of fully funding and implementing crime reduction strategies.

“Today, a key strategy has failed to be implemented. Premier Dunkley has known about Operation Ceasefire for seven years. On the eve of the 2012 election, then-candidate Minister Baron called the gang situation a ‘national emergency’ and promised that the OBA would urgently introduce Operation Ceasefire. Here we are five years later, more than a dozen murders later, and the Premier and Minister have not fulfilled their election pledge.

“In other jurisdictions, Operation Ceasefire was introduced in one year and showed results in the next. We call upon the Government to immediately fully implement Operation Ceasefire.

“A PLP government would not just fully support the implementation of Operation Ceasefire, but ensure key indicators are established to measure its success and allow tailoring for our unique circumstances.

“We are committed to going further by implementing a National Crime Reduction Plan. Among other initiatives, this plan identifies and supports the most at-risk families to make determined efforts to stop, and reverse, the slide of vulnerable young people into a desperate life of gangs, drugs and crime.

Responding to Mr Roban’s comments, Mr Baron said: “Say what you want about Marc Bean but ‘Fratricide’ and violence, under his leadership, was not a political football. It’s clear by this release that David Burt’s PLP will exploit this, and any opportunity, to score cheap political points.

“It’s a shame no one from the PLP came outside of Alaska Hall to join me on Court Street to engage our community. To listen to our people. To challenge the violence we’ve all seen this week.

“Instead they spent that time typing a media release. No supportive actions. Just divisive words. Someone explain what’s ‘Progressive’ about that.”