In perhaps his strongest rebuke to date on the influx of illegal guns into the country, Commissioner of Police Tyrone Griffith today blamed what he said was corruption at the island’s ports of entry for the lack of success in stemming the weapons flow.
And Commissioner Griffith is calling on the good border security officials to give up the bad ones to the police.
“If you have a few people among you who are corrupt, then you have to be prepared to give them up. I say that to my officers. We are not going to sleep in bed with officers who we know are corrupt. We will do everything in our power to get rid of them,” he warned.
The top cop has previously said that the weapons on the streets were entering the country through the Bridgetown Port and Grantley Adams International Airport and blamed a lack of cooperation by certain border security officials for the failure of the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) to make the necessary arrests.
But it was the first time during a news conference at police headquarters on Roebuck Street this afternoon, that Griffith used “corruption” to underscore the reason for the unlawful entry of the arms and ammunition.
The top cop was responding to a question from Barbados TODAY about why the police continued to struggle with the issue of illegal guns imports rather than making arrests if it is known the weapons were actually coming through the ports.
“The reality is that where there is corruption, there will always be problems. And so, if the system is corrupt, then we are not going to get the information and support. You have to work together to break the back of those crimes. And so, even though the intelligence says that, you are not going to get that tip that breaks it,” he insisted.
The police commissioner was pressed further to state whether there was corruption at the Bridgetown Port and airport.
“There is corruption. There must be some form…there must be corruption if you are going to have the number of firearms that are coming onto our shores illegally…then there has to be corruption,” Griffith declared, adding that if there was collaboration and cooperation, a lot of people would get arrested.
“If you work alongside me and you are good and you don’t give me up who is bad…the police are not magicians; they depend on support,” he stressed.
The top cop said though that the force had been receiving a little more cooperation from border security officials than before. However, he expressed dissatisfaction with the level saying that it was still not good enough.
“Obviously it is helping. But as I said, you need as much cooperation as possible,” he said.
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb
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Though what he is saying here maybe true. Why has he failed to mention the other poorly monitored ports of entry like the two down north? What about the fisheries complexes? Our coastline is too porous to just cherry pick two entities to blame. The other fact is that these block boys don’t have the connections or finances to import guns. When are we going to go after the big fish in this game and stop procrastinating?
The economy not doing good blame the port. People get shot, blame the port. Cost of living goes up, blame the port. You didn’t get your income tax refund for the last 3 years, blame the port . Sun shine blame the port . Rain fall blame the port. How about putting the blame where it really belongs!
thank you mr commissioner for speaking truth to power. i have total repect for you for doing that sir. you are saying what most bajans already know. find the crooked ones and bring them to justice cause for greed their actions destroying our country.keep up the pressure sir. we need more public servants like you and barbados would be a better place. keep it real always.
“The top cop has previously said that the weapons on the streets were entering the country through the Bridgetown Port and Grantley Adams International Airport….”
Unless the Commissioner of Police mentioned the “Bridgetown Port and Grantley Adams International Airport” on some other occasion, what he was quoted as saying in another section of the Press at an August 20, 2015 media briefing is: “Our intelligence suggests that they are coming through legitimate ports of entry. They are either assisted by officials or not detected by them at our borders”.
It could reasonably be inferred that the COP was also making reference to those private ports of entry at the north of the island, as well as fishing complexes. He was chastised on blogs and social media for not specifically mentioning those ports as being entry points for illegal firearms.
One thing is for certain, illegal guns made their way onto the shores of Barbados during the 10 years and 90 days of corr upt DLP rule in a manner never seen before in the history of the island. Now the chickens have come home to roost.
Every time I hear Rawle Smith on Brasstacks I cringe. This man murdered my cousin who was a promising nurse in the late 1970s. Early in the morning around 8 oçlock he pumped a number of bullets from a 38 into her body, because she was secretly dating an intern. Rawle only served seven years after being convicted. This is what happens in Barbados. Relatives of victims are the ones who suffer the pain for their love ones. The criminals live their happy lives long after.
Paula I hate to hear de two mouth fowl also, but as it stood before and stands now, convicted criminals are treated better than law abidding citizens and murder gets a slap on the wrist. Not a criminal up Dodds will feel this austerity we all feeliing today. Some even feel living in Dodds is better than living than outside.
Well if the fox guarding the hen house question is who watching the fox? We know firearms are coming through the port as was evident when a car engine was found gutted and full of ammunition. Yet when we tried to install cameras at the port it was met with opposition. The time has therefore come when we must do what is required regardless of who likes it or not.
The port should have had cameras long time. No-one needs to explain why. Guns are coming in by those that have money and the narrows down those in question. Clean up the Island, we all have to live here not just those thinking about money and material things. Look at the quality of life in Bim bcos of this situation gradually getting a hold on the Island. 🙁
OK, BT deleted my post so let me try another angle.
Good work Sir but please note you did not mention the other three ports.
Let’s see if BT allows this one to go through.
The facilitation of all contraband was increased when the Arthur administration allowed the clearing/un-stuffing of container cargo at these island wide ware houses just prior to cricket world cup 2007.
@Carl Harper: I have ordered the ‘Pied Piper’ so we can rid the town of you and your rats who wants to brainwash Barbadians with your 10 years and 90 days slogan. Even my friend the speaker getting itchy when lawyers oppose the new bail Act. Why would a party with this size majority be so edgy? Naturally you lot can fell the ground moving beneath you. You can feel the land slide coming.