Thorne slams govt’s phone-tap bill as ‘maladministration’

Leader of the Opposition Ralph Thorne accused the government of “serious maladministration” over its handling of the Interception of Communications Bill, sharply rejecting Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s call for bipartisan talks on crime as an attempt to distract the public.

“This situation pertaining to the Interception of Communications Bill is a matter of grave concern for Barbadians,” Thorne said in a statement, as he called on the government to “immediately withdraw” the measure.

He charged that the prime minister’s outreach was a distraction, noting: “The government has presided over egregious legislative maladministration and the prime minister seeks to distract the public’s attention by repeating some offer to the opposition to sit with the government on matters of crime.”

Thorne’s broadside came hours after Mottley used a national address to urge a unified approach to crime and to outline a wider package of justice and safety reforms moving through Parliament.

“It matters not to me what route we get there, only that we have a unified country fighting the awful spectre of crime,” Mottley said.

She revealed she had read the Democratic Labour Party’s Commission on Crime report and was willing to consider some of its proposals. She further invited Thorne and commission chair Verla De Peiza to meet with the Advisory Council on Citizen Security “to see what other aspects of it we can come to a unified position on.”

The prime minister singled out the creation of a unified family court as an idea that “requires serious consideration”, noting it was also a Barbados Labour Party manifesto commitment. She said the court would bring services protecting children, families and the most vulnerable “under one roof with strong mediation and with social support”.

Mottley framed the government’s legislative programme as a single architecture to strengthen the justice chain beyond interception powers, with companion measures on witness anonymity, policing, juries and firearms regulation.

“Tools to detect, protection to testify, people to police, citizens to judge, and laws to deter – each piece answers a real problem in our justice chain,” she said.

The prime minister also defended recently tightened window‑tint rules, noting police had raised safety concerns when approaching vehicles with heavily darkened glass.

But Thorne urged Barbadians “not to be distracted by these invitations to the opposition to sit with the government,” insisting that, “instead of passing legislation to seriously confront the scourge of violent crime, the government has penalised the majority of honest and innocent Barbadians with legislation on matters of cybercrime, vehicle tint and now phone-tapping. Meanwhile, the passage of a weak Bail Act has failed to curb rising violent crime.”

His critique also stretched to the bill’s parliamentary handling. He argued that “by the principle of regularity, the people of Barbados are free to conclude that the Cabinet of Barbados approved the Interception of Communications Bill before it was presented in Parliament by the attorney general”, calling it “a matter of severe embarrassment” that “some members of the parliamentary government were unaware that the bill permitted phone-tapping without the court’s intervention”.

“This entire episode now stands as a serious maladministration in our public affairs,” he said, while appealing to citizens to “continue to support the police service … and to exercise greatest caution and vigilance”.

“As evidenced by the excellent and incisive work of our Commission on Crime, the DLP remains committed to the ideal of a peaceful Barbados. This is a time for serious commitment. This is not a time for games,” he added. 

Mottley’s justice chain companion legislation: 

Apart from the controversial Interception of Communications Bill governing wiretapping, the prime minister announced a suite of bills to reform the criminal justice system:

Criminal Proceedings (Witness Anonymity) Bill

— Grants courts powers to protect witnesses’ identities during proceedings when necessary.

Police (Amendment) Bill

— Regularises special constables as full police officers, establishes pensions, enforces professional standards, mandates formal training, and boosts accountability.

Juries Bill

— Modernises jury service by abolishing outdated property and income requirements and permits combined trials.

Firearms (Amendment) Bill

— Strengthens laws against illegal guns and parts, with planned revisions to target only major components.