Home » Posts » Invest in crime fight

Invest in crime fight

by Marlon Madden
4 min read
A+A-
Reset

A former NYPD detective is urging local businesses to step up to the plate and do more to help in the crime-fighting efforts.

President and Chief Executive Officer of the Caribbean Law Enforcement Foundation David Watson expressed disappointment that some businesses continued to shy away from providing financial and other support to law enforcement agencies on the island.

At the same time, he argued that some of those responsible for fighting crime and maintaining order were refusing input from experienced individuals including some returning nationals.

“The business entities in Barbados need to be more hands-on . . . It has to be a team effort between the businesses, the law enforcement entities in the Caribbean and Barbados,” said Watson, while indicating that Government cannot fight crime alone.

“Things cost money, and yes, you have the community playing a part, but businesses in the Caribbean and Barbados have to get involved with helping to supply the resources for public safety. It is not just for the police,” he said.

“The police are only a part of the spectrum. The other spectrum is prisons or correctional facilities – how do you rehabilitate these young men and women who go to jail? You need resources and that costs. How do you do job training for them? Again, it needs money,” he told a webinar hosted by the Criminal Justice Research and Planning Unit on Wednesday. .

Watson, who worked in the NYPD for more than two decades, explained that his foundation had a Barbados-based arm that worked to raise funds to help local and regional law enforcement with resources.

However, he complained that reaching out to businesses for assistance was a challenge sometimes, with some indicating that they did not “get involved” in that type of work.

The Caribbean Law Enforcement Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation based in Georgia, United States, that provides training to law enforcement in the Caribbean.

“One thing that Barbados and a lot of the Caribbean islands have to do, is partner with the community and the police. Also, it has to include business people who actually are benefiting from the community spending money in their establishments,” he said.

“I say that because we have reached out to numerous businesses in Barbados and some of the responses we get, especially one in particular is ‘we don’t get involved in that’, meaning that we don’t get involved in helping the police do anything. That is the wrong picture to paint,” he said.

He said resources did not always mean money.

“They could offer space, they could offer rehabilitation. So it is not only about money. Resources sometimes can play a big part.”

At the same time, Watson shared examples of law enforcement agencies and institutions also refusing assistance while some were simply unresponsive.

“We have reached out to numerous entities [including one uniformed institution] and we offered our resources – and we have a lot of resources – and we have not heard a response and we are big on youth programmes in this foundation. We have not heard a response after two or three emails and we just gave up,” he complained.

“There are a lot of other people who are here [in the US] who are willing to get involved and other Bajans who want to help, but a lot of times they do not know where to go to offer their help and when they do, a lot of times they are shut down.

“I get complaints from Bajans who are there in Barbados who are returning nationals who offer their help and get shut down. Use your resources that you have at your fingertips. A lot of folks there have a lot of experience dealing with these programmes, and you have folks there on island who are well educated and versed. Use these folks to your advantage,” he urged.

Director of the Criminal Justice Research and Planning Unit Cheryl Willoughby indicated that her agency would be engaging with the foundation.

marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb

You may also like

About Us

Barbados Today logos white-14

The (Barbados) Today Inc. is a privately owned, dynamic and innovative Media Production Company.

Useful Links

Get Our News

Newsletter

Subscribe my Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & new photos. Let's stay updated!

Barbados Today logos white-14

The (Barbados) Today Inc. is a privately owned, dynamic and innovative Media Production Company.

BT Lifestyle

Newsletter

Subscribe my Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & new photos. Let's stay updated!

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Accept Privacy Policy

-
00:00
00:00
Update Required Flash plugin
-
00:00
00:00