Prime Minister Mia Mottley has called on Barbadians to recognise that addressing crime requires not only decisive law enforcement but also a concerted national response to underlying issues such as anger management, conflict resolution, and dishonesty.
At a press briefing at Ilaro Court on Thursday, Mottley acknowledged that crime remains a pressing concern, but emphasised that law enforcement agencies are actively and effectively tackling many of the incidents.
“The reality is that the nature of the concerns we’ve had this year has changed,” she told journalists. “We’ve had 22 homicides for the year, but 13 of them have been guns, the rest of them have been knives, which tells you, and when you look at what happened with respect to them, the issue is not simply a gang issue.
“The issue is one of how we manage anger, how we resolve conflict, and how indeed we deal with issues of dishonesty, whether it be outright stealing or aspects of corruption.”
Despite the challenges posed by crime this year, the prime minister expressed confidence in law enforcement, following recent meetings of the National Security Council.
“I am satisfied that the police and the other law enforcement agencies are, in fact, executing a robust plan with the appropriate equipment and with the appropriate skills available to them, to contain and fight the crime,” the PM said. “I think the attorney general has advised me that at least three-quarters of the incidents from this year, the police have been able to get on top and charge persons with it.”
But Mottley urged law enforcement to improve public engagement, suggesting more regular updates on their progress.
She said: “In the same way that they have Monday Wanted that they should perhaps be also communicating with the public on a weekly basis, letting the public know when they have reaped success and when they have been able to contain situations as a result of the excellent work that they have done on the ground in communities.”
As part of the government’s efforts to bolster public safety, Mottley announced the Cabinet’s decision to extend and expand the collaboration between The Barbados Defence Force and the Barbados Police Service for another year.
Mottley said: Typically, there have been joint operations as Barbadians know, you most know it and see it on Kadooment Day when the BDF is out in support; we’ve done joint tourism patrol engagements, we’ve also dealt with counter drug, operations, particularly in the waters, but we are broadening it to include other serious matters of serious concern to the country to ensure that The Barbados Police Service has the fullest possible support.”
The prime minister also underscored the importance of regional and international partnerships, highlighting ongoing support from the Regional Security System (RSS), particularly in financial crime investigation, and announcing new training initiatives with the United Kingdom. This followed talks with her British counterpart, Keir Starmer when Mottley visited No. 10 Downing Street “some time ago”.
She said: “We have agreed that the British will work with us through the identification of persons to do training In-situ. We currently have two senior Barbados police officers who have been on long term training in the United Kingdom with another two to go off very shortly before the end of the year, but we took a decision that simply sending elements of the high command alone will not be sufficient. Therefore what we want to have is comprehensive training In-situ as far as possible on site so as many officers can continue to benefit from the increased skills and enhanced skills that we need.”
Mottley further expressed satisfaction with the performance of recently established units, including the anti-corruption and counterterrorism unit and the organised crime unit. (SB)
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