Prime Minister Mia Mottley has warned criminals that her administration will take a zero tolerance approach to crime as she announced that members of the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) would be joining the police in a major operation to reduce crime on the island.
She told a news conference on Friday night that the authorities would be moving swiftly to deal with criminal elements in an effort to wrestle the crime situation here which she declared was “nowhere as bad” as in other countries of the region.
“We are not prepared under any circumstances to admit that it is business as usual when eight people can lose their lives in this country in the month of January. We are not prepared under any circumstances for people to believe that they can use or walk around with guns as if they are toys, as if they are badges of honour,” said Mottley.
She told reporters that the crime situation was endemic to the region and not a peculiar problem to Barbados,
Mottley acknowledged that since taking office last May, her efforts have primarily been focused on the repair of the Barbados economy. But she sought to assure Barbadians following a meeting of the Regional Security System (RSS) on Friday that the scourge of gun violence is now receiving her full attention.
“If people are so consumed and so much in love with guns, then they should ask me to ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs to find a war some part of the world that we can allow them to go and be part of. But they must not begin to believe that they can walk about Barbados with guns and walk about shooting people any part of this country. Not bout here,” the Prime Minister said.
She acknowledged the emphasis had been on improving the ailing economy, adding “iff it is one regret I have is perhaps that I should have taken control of it from day one, but I was focused on the economy fully and the debt”.
Prime Minister Mottley, who was flanked by Attorney General Dale Marshall and Minister of Home Affairs Edmund Hinkson, said the criminals “must understand that they are going to feel the full weight of the law because what is at stake is our way of life.
“Barbados is not going to be held hostage by people who want to terrorize ordinary people walking up and down the street,” she said, confirming reports that many of the shooting incidents stemmed from “a turf war between people living here and cross there”.
She said the government would be fast-tracking several pieces of legislation over the next few weeks, while simultaneously increasing the resources of the police, border security and the court system.
“Our government will establish an anti-corruption and terrorism entity within the Ministry of National Security to supplement the work of the police. It is not going to be a huge agency, but it’s critical that people come to work every day to fight corruption because that is part and parcel of the cancer.
“What we are fighting in this country [goes back] to matters that the Commissioner of Police raised as far back as three years ago, regarding difficulties that they have experienced with respect to the port and other areas where guns come in. We need to get on top of these issues institutionally,” she added.
Prime Minister Mottley promised that her administration would deal with the issues of promotion within the police service, a situation she acknowledged had the effect of eroding morale.
“We are satisfied that the greatest cannibalization of the Royal Barbados Police Force took place in the last few years. It cannot be allowed to happen again. You cannot attack an institution and expect it to prosper…
“You cannot have successive Commissioners of Police making recommendations for promotions in the police force based on their perception of performance and merit and discipline, and then have a Police Service Commission completely ignoring those recommendations and choosing to promote who they want on criteria known only to them,” she told reporters.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of People Empowerment & Elder Affairs said it wanted to register “its dismay at the prevailing spate of violence in the society” and has designated February 2 and 3, as a “Weekend of Prayer”.
“Concern heightens as violent incidents during the first month of 2019 reach record levels and intimidate even the strongest among us. This new level of violence, however, cannot be viewed in isolation, but is a reflection of social and economic realities.
“It is linked, for instance, to gangs and the drug trade – two illicit activities that lure our vulnerable young men and women who are faced with a sense of disenchantment and alienation, and being barred from a stake in this country’s future,” the Ministry said in a statement.
“This is our society. We must, therefore, own our part in its ills, as well as its fortunes, and our collective responsibility for our youth and succeeding generations. This Ministry recognises that we can no longer treat only the symptoms but must address the root social determinants which result in violent gun crimes and homicide.
“Violence in society goes beyond the police concern with far-reaching social and economic implications. It is, for example, linked to public health and puts pressure on already scarce resources. It traumatises families and friends and causes stress, anxiety, depression and additional financial burdens.”
The Ministry said that violence “sends the wrong messages to the tourism industry and our other productive sectors.
“Sadly, it particularly affects our young men in what should be their most productive years. The traditional village no longer exists to raise the child and our children are creating their own dysfunctional villages.”
