Minister of Legal Affairs and Criminal Justice Michael Lashley has sought to allay concerns raised by some attorneys over the government’s plan to establish two gun courts, insisting that staffing and operational solutions have already been identified.
Speaking in the Senate on Wednesday as he presented the Supreme Court of Judicature Amendment Bill, Lashley said the specialised courts would be adequately resourced from the outset, with personnel drawn from outside the existing criminal justice system.
He said: “I have heard some practitioners speaking out. I am saying that we should not worry about how we will get these cases fast tracked because it is a specialised court. Already we have permission that these will be staffed by two judges. Judges outside the existing criminal justice system. Judges that will have time to deal with matters. Further, two legal assistants outside of the criminal justice system, four marshals, [and] four probation officers.”
Four prosecutors are “ready to hit the ground running”, he added.
Pre-sentence reports are prepared early, particularly from the point at which accused people indicate an intention to plead guilty, thereby avoiding adjournments, he explained.
A prominent criminal defence attorney before coming back into government in February, he also criticised fellow lawyers for, in his view, failing to offer practical solutions to address the existing backlog of cases.
He said: “If a lawyer had come and said to me. ‘You see the offence of indecent assault? Move some of those matters to the magistrate so they can deal with it.’”
“The indecent assault matters that involve minors, leave those at the High Court. The offence of escaping law custody which is a common law offence; let the magistrate deal with it, rather than coming to a High Court with a judge and jury.”
“Nobody ain’t come and say establish an early guilty plea system. So that persons that want to plead guilty can come on this day.”
Lashley underscored the urgency of the initiative by pointing to crime statistics, noting that 23 of the 27 murders recorded so far this year were firearm-related. Since January, he said, police have recovered 51 illegal firearms.
“This means that there are cases to be done, cases to be fast-tracked, cases to be tried,” he said, adding that more than 80 firearms and 3 309 rounds of ammunition were seized in 2025, creating additional cases for the courts.
He said many cases were already trial-ready, citing progress made through collaboration between a consultant and the Barbados Police Service’s prosecution department.
“[With] the employment of a consultant with members of the prosecution department of the Barbados Police Service, I can say that 672 files have been submitted to the police prosecutors, which is indeed impressive, of all the files between 2022 and 2024. In order to have the court up and operational, you have to feed it. It cannot just be sitting there.”
“And my accurate and certain information is that the court that would be dealing with firearm offences from January until now, there were four cases and all are ready. In February, cases again are ready for prosecution, in March, three cases, April, 11 cases which are ready. They are trial ready. The two courts will not be sitting there. The files are ready.”
Drawing on regional precedent, Lashley said Jamaica’s gun court had helped to reduce case backlogs, and that Barbados intended to adopt a similar approach, with one court dedicated to clearing existing cases and the other handling matters arising in 2026.
He maintained that firearm-related cases should be brought to trial within six months, arguing that swift justice would help to curb gun crime while upholding defendants’ rights.
“A man who is on bail for possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition or a firearm related offence would not feel good if his case is called up within four or five months because speedy trials result in the reduction of criminal activity and if you have a speedy trial you get dangerous offenders off the streets.”
“Secondly, you also endorse and respect his rights to a trial within reasonable time without delay and thirdly you are also expecting the victim’s rights.”
The minister added that resources within the Barbados Police Service would be strengthened, particularly in evidence gathering and case management within the prosecution department.
He further indicated that new criminal procedural rules would soon be introduced to ensure both prosecution and defence are prepared for trial.
“So all the talk from some lawyers saying there will be delays and backlog, the criminal procedural rules are coming and all of those things finished.”
Lashley also acknowledged that the High Court could be intimidating, noting that the Criminal Proceedings Act would soon be proclaimed to provide protections for witnesses, including safeguarding their identities.
(JB)
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