Better plans

Police want public events legislation, better risk planning for 2024 Crop Over season 

By Emmanuel Joseph

The Barbados Police Service (TBPS) is concerned about a lack of proper risk planning and management in the organisation of Crop Over events and will be demanding this be corrected when law enforcement officials meet with the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) and other stakeholders in preparation for next year’s festival.

Acting Commissioner of Police Erwin Boyce shared that with Barbados TODAY on Monday, coming out of TBPS’ recent post-mortem on the 2023 Season of Emancipation and Crop Over activities.

Although saying he did not want to provide details of this and other findings before the high command engages with the relevant officials, the police chief said, “TBPS will highlight its findings in the engagement with our partners and the NCF, as is the usual, and will insist on public events legislation, proper risk planning and management from those involved and early collaboration to ensure that the security platform can be adequately and timely satisfied with the appropriate contingencies.”

Boyce insisted that risk management is a critical element of event planning, especially big events. He was also adamant that “TBPS will certainly voice its concerns and advice in respect of the route for the Grand Kadooment 2024”. Boyce said as far as crime was concerned, “the crime mix was constant”.

“There were no new crime signals and no threats to the events within the Crop Over season…. Were there to be a concern, it would have to be the minor crime and . . . matters reported in domestic/familial settings, including intimate partner violence. It should be noted that visitor crime was negligible, as were reports of sex-related matters,” the senior police official disclosed.

He said that during the season, the police service adopted a “whole of Barbados policing agenda” that enabled it to apply strategies to manage crime and suppress lawless behaviour in a focused way throughout the island.

“We believed that for the most part, we succeeded,” Boyce said, expressing gratitude to the men and women of the service “who made every sacrifice, went beyond the call of duty and worked tirelessly on the front line to meet the many policing demands during the period”.

Boyce also thanked the Barbados Defence Force which he said not only allowed police officers to strengthen their policing presence in public spaces on many occasions but also enabled the police service to provide the required reassurance.

The NCF was also commended for its support as well as the private security partners who Boyce said added an invaluable layer of security at many events.   The organisers and promoters were also acknowledged for working with TBPS “in most instances”.

“Generally, the season went well and there were no known threats to any of the events.  There were many events – national and private – which were well attended and, in particular, were youth-centric events. From the opening of the season to the Kadooment climax, crowd behaviour was good with two or three exceptions.

“From our vantage point, there was an acceptable level of compliance with directions, whether at the venues, in public spaces or on the roads policing management. Yes, there were two instances that had far-reaching effects in relation to crowd safety and control. We strongly condemned them. We thought that the first instance caused promoters and organisers to step up their game in relation to venue security and crowd management,” the acting COP stated, referring to the highly-publicised stampede at the Powda wet fete in early July and the Kadooment Day shooting in which several people were injured.

Boyce stressed the need for promoters and organisers to conduct event business in a safe and responsible manner and in venues that are fit for purpose and risk-assessed.

“The message then was not about crowd size, experience creation, maximising money making, cutting corners to fatten pockets; but as far as we are concerned, it was and always will be about how safe and protected are the patrons at events, whether indoors or outdoors,” the Police Commissioner declared.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb