Police Commissioner pledges to intensify gun fight

Come next year the Barbados Police Service (BPS) will be paying extra close attention to all firearm-related incidents.

This was made clear by Commissioner of Police Richard Boyce during his inaugural Christmas message.

Boyce, a 42-year veteran who took over as top cop from Tyrone Griffith on November 1, pointed out that even though it had been a challenging year statistics showed serious crime had decreased when compared to the same period in 2020.

“Operationally, we have had an encouraging year in policing public safety. At the time of penning this message, serious crime has fallen by 24 per cent based on a comparative period for last year.

“Of course, the matter of firearm crime continues to be of concern. During the coming year, all of our resources, along with expected collaboration of communities will be brought to bear on this matter,” Boyce promised.

“In this my first Christmas message since my appointment as Police Commissioner, I want to say how proud I am to be leading the Barbados Police Service at this juncture. I wish to thank the public of Barbados for their continued support and pledge our unwavering commitment to national duty and the maintenance of public order.”

The Commissioner said the service would be increasing its use of technology in a bid to improve efficiency.

“As this year draws to a close and the new year beckons, we look forward to serving the Government and people of Barbados with a renewed sense of commitment. We are fully conscious of the challenges that lie ahead. The pandemic continues to wreak havoc and its resolution seems distant. There are also some public safety issues that must be resolved.

“Our service is embarking on an aggressive and comprehensive initiative to drive up efficiency through the use of modern and appropriate technology. This will result in the abandonment of time consuming and inefficient processes and procedures. Work is already in progress to pilot one such system,” Boyce noted.

He maintained that the police service needed to reimagine the way it interacts with the public.

Boyce also used the opportunity to praise officers for their exemplary service during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said it was unfortunate that some officers had died.

“Our officers have nonetheless performed their duties in a manner that Barbadians deserve and expect. This gives me an opportunity to publicly commend them on their devotion to duty.

Regrettably, some of them contracted the disease and had to go into quarantine. This impacted the numbers available for active duty but suitable arrangements were made to mitigate the difficulties caused by this development,” he said. randybennett@barbadostoday.bb