The Barbados Police Service has a new outpost in the Ivy, St Michael community that has been the scene of recent shootings, and Acting Senior Superintendent for the Bridgetown Division Adrian Broomes said the move was part of efforts to ensure residents felt safe.
Around 11 a.m. on Wednesday, several officers were seen setting up the outpost and interacting with people in the neighbourhood.
Broomes said the aim was to have a stronger presence in the urban district.
“When we consider a lot of recent happenings in the Ivy, we look at our core values when it comes to the service and that is to make communities safe. We put this post down as a means of reassurance to let the persons here in this district know that the police are here [and] we understand their concerns. We are not only about the policing effort but we are also concerned about the community and people being safe,” he said.
A shooting last Saturday in the Ivy resulted in injury to a 40-year-old man, while another shooting incident was reported on Tuesday night, with the victim suffering a gunshot wound to his leg. On September 26, lawmen also responded to a shoot-out in the area.
Broomes said that Barbadians could look forward to an overall stronger police presence across the island for the upcoming Christmas season.
“We have a planned [strategy] for Christmas itself and we call it our Yuletide policing and this will be part of our Yuletide policing, not only this district but the whole of Bridgetown, the whole of the country. When it comes to this time of the year, we usually double our efforts to make sure we are visible and that we are strong,” the senior officer said.
Broomes said officers stationed at the outpost in the Ivy would be required to interact regularly with residents to see how best the police could serve them.
He asked that people cooperate with the lawmen, approach them with any important information, and offer suggestions about how they could improve their service.
A resident of the area for 20 years, who only gave her name as Judy, said it was normal to hear gunshots in the Ivy but in recent times shootings had become more frequent.
The woman, who lives with her elderly mother, said she was glad the outpost was set up in her community.
Also on-site at the police outpost was a crew from the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA).
Public Relations Officer of the SSA Carl Alf Padmore explained that lawmen had requested assistance with the setup as garbage bins had been placed in an area close to the outpost.
The bins were relocated near the community play park. (SZB)
