Top cop says new unit will be unrelenting in hunting criminals

Determined to “break the back” of a worrying spate of deadly gun violence, the Barbados Police Service has rolled out a new unit including members of the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) who will be targeting criminals “24/7, day and night” all across the country.

A tough-talking Commissioner of Police Richard Boyce made the announcement on Thursday morning during a press briefing at the District ‘A’ Police Complex, as he warned criminals that the security forces will be hunting them down, wherever they are, under Operation Restore Order.

He disclosed that the unit – comprising 86 members of the Barbados Police Service along with soldiers from a reserve contingent of the BDF, whose numbers are flexible – will conduct Operation Restore Order for the next three months with the possibility of an extension.

“We see it as our mission to bring back some high level of calmness, peace of mind and well-being in each and everyone in society,” the police chief declared.

“Operation Restore Order is predicated on targeting specific areas where we know from our analysis, from our engagement in each and every community, looking at all areas of crime, especially firearm-enabled crimes. So, whether it is murder, whether it is discharging firearms wantonly, whether it is injuring some persons, whether it is lay-waiting persons with firearms, we are targeting those persons.”

Speaking directly to the criminals, Boyce added: “We are serious about this operation. We intend to go after you. We intend to take these guns out of persons’ hands. We intend to come after you 24/7; day and night, we will be there.”

The top cop stressed that while police were not at war with perpetrators, they would do whatever is required, within the law, to deal with the crime scourge.

At the same time, he cautioned members of the public to stay out of the way of law enforcement personnel doing their job.

“I want to encourage persons that when we are moving around do not get in our way. Do not intervene, do not hamper, do not make the job more difficult for the officers than you should. Lend us your support so that we can execute Operation Restore Order with full resources being deployed and employed as we see fit,” Boyce urged.

He also sought to assure citizens that nobody would be targeted willy-nilly, nor would communities be placed under police control unnecessarily.

“Unlike other jurisdictions, we do not want to go the route of corralling neighbourhoods, districts or whatever. I believe that Barbadians, in general, are law-abiding citizens and they too would understand what we are dealing with, and I would not like us to go down that road.

“But nothing is off the table. If it comes to that situation, then it’s an option. But for us, it is one that we would hold tight and don’t put out there for persons, but we expect that level of responsibility to deal with that situation. This can only work if members of the society come on board with us,” Commissioner Boyce said.

Flanked by members of the police high command and the military advisor to the BDF Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Lovell, he said border security personnel and members of the public are also partners in the operation which he said was motivated by the surge in firearm-related crime, particularly daring daylight shootings.

Police have recorded 41 murders so far this year, compared to 28 for the corresponding period last year. Of the killings in 2022 thus far, 31 involved guns and 12 of those have been solved.

“Overall, 22 murders out of the 41 have been solved – that is, the murders by firearms plus others,” Commissioner Boyce said, adding that 13 people have been charged for the murders this year.

He disclosed that prior to the official launch of Operation Restore Order, there had been a “soft launch”, and police had made some headway.

“We have recovered 137 firearms so far for this year, as compared with 58 for the whole of last year. So we are looking at the heavy and big increase in firearms when compared to last year,” Boyce stated.

“That figure in itself would tell you that the members of the Barbados Police Service and also members of the Barbados Defence Force in their combined efforts have been doing a good job. Mind you, that is just part and parcel of it. We know in our organisations that there is a lot more work to be done. So the work has only started…just a fraction of it.

“So far since the soft part of it started, 337 vehicles were checked and 1 098 persons were also checked. So that is only the beginning of the operation. So it tells you that when things get fully rolled out, you are going to find that heightened activity and you are going to find a lot more searches and checks being conducted. We know where the areas are that need the most attention,” the Police Commissioner asserted.

He stressed that the whole of Barbados would be “our stage of operation”.

“It is not targeting one specific area or profiling an area and making people believe that you have to live in a particular district, that we are targeting them. It is nothing like that. We know exactly where we are, we know where we have to do the heavy lifting. We know which societies are giving us their full support. We know who our friends are, we know who our enemies are,” Boyce declared.

He added that the operation was driven by information, intelligence, and law-abiding residents who inform the police what is happening on the ground.

“I ask persons in society, law-abiding persons in society, and also those persons who have a part to play or are willing to play their part in what we are doing to come on board with us. We are at your beck and call in terms of receiving information. Not only the Barbados Police Service, the Barbados Defence Force, but also Crime Stoppers is there at your service also. So if there is any disquiet or uneasiness in calling any law enforcement agency, Crime Stoppers, which is an anonymous organisation, well secured and you are protected…give them the information so we can deal with it,” the Police Commissioner advised.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb