Head of the Barbados Private Sector Association (BPSA), Trisha Tannis, is calling for a renewed national push towards a cashless society following a brazen robbery in which an elderly man was violently attacked after using a credit union ATM.
In an interview with the DAILY NATION, Tannis described the incident as a sobering reminder of the vulnerability of the elderly and an urgent signal that Barbados must accelerate the transition to digital financial solutions.
“This incident exacerbates the urgency for this country to follow the route of other countries which have gone primarily cashless,” she said.
“The elderly are naturally more vulnerable, both physically and in terms of their comfort and familiarity with technology. That makes them an easier target,” she said.
The business leader acknowledged, however, that fully integrating older citizens into a cashless system would not be without its challenges.
“There is very low adoption of technology among the elderly. They still prefer paper – paper money, paper receipts, paper bills – and that gives them peace of mind. Moving them away from that and into a fully digital transaction environment is going to be more difficult than we may think.”
Tannis noted that while technology provided a safer alternative to cash transactions, the broader issue was in ensuring societal protection, especially as violent crimes became more indiscriminate and increasingly targetted the vulnerable.
“It used to be that people would think twice before committing a crime against an elderly person or in front of a child but we are witnessing a trajectory that shows an abandonment of the values that once defined our society,” she lamented.
“We have to ask ourselves why that’s acceptable.”
From the private sector’s standpoint, Tannis said there were several actions that could be taken, such as expanding advocacy and education for the elderly on available digital tools and exploring secure solutions like prepaid debit cards that could be topped up by family members or service providers.
“The idea is not to force the elderly into a system that leaves them behind. It’s about bridging the two realities – giving them options that feel safe and familiar, while gently guiding them into safer, more modern financial practices.”
Tannis said financial institutions, retailers and the wider private sector also had a role to play in reducing cash dependency. These included increasing the use of surveillance, ensuring staff were trained to respond to threats and minimising the volume of cash held on premises.
She was, however, quick to stress that private action alone was not enough.
“There’s no hiding from the fact that we are dealing with a national security issue. We need more well-trained police on the streets, particularly in vulnerable zones and we as a society must start asking what kind of Barbados do we really want?”
She said the private sector had previously partnered with law enforcement by funding cameras and other security infrastructure in crime hotspots and pledged continued support, including their participation on the National Advisory Council for Citizen Security.
Tannis also linked the issue of rising violent crime to social conditions and the disconnection of young men from structured development opportunities after secondary school.
“If most of these offenders fall within a certain age bracket – often immediately post-secondary school – then why are we not holding on to these young men a little longer in the school system or structured training? Let’s give them something constructive to do while they are still maturing,” she said.
As calls mount for greater protection of the elderly and other vulnerable groups, Tannis said Barbados must not only invest in technological solutions but also confront the deeper societal issues contributing to crime.
“Ultimately, we have to return to our values – respect for the elderly, respect for the vulnerable because if someone is bold enough to do this to an old man, then we are not far from seeing it done to a child or someone who is differently abled,” she warned.
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