The government has unveiled plans to establish a Serious Organised Crime Unit within the police service as the country grapples with a wave of violent crime.
Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced the initiative at a press briefing on Friday, describing it as a key recommendation from the Independent International Police Assistance Service (IPAS). The new unit will focus “entirely on organised crime and gangs”, she said.
“People must come to work every day to ensure that this is wrestled down and that this country is not held to ransom by people who want to act in a way that is inimical to people’s liberty and safety and property,” Mottley declared.
The government has agreed to create temporary posts for the unit, which will operate alongside existing police divisions.
Mottley emphasised that community policing remains “a critical component” of crime prevention efforts, announcing plans to deploy the police band to engage young people and “give them more skills”.
“We believe that The Barbados Police Service Band, which has a history of over a hundred years, is well placed to be able to help us in that effort,” she said. “If they need additional instruments and other things to be able to put out there so that they can give these youngsters a chance to have purpose and skills at the same time, then we will work with them to provide that across a number of communities.”
In addition to bolstering police resources, the prime minister revealed intentions to introduce new legislation restricting bail for murder suspects and those facing serious firearms charges.
This move comes after a 2019 law denying bail in such cases for 24 months was ruled unconstitutional by the High Court.
Mottley reasoned that if the court ruled “tomorrow” that it was unconstitutional, the administration would have to bring a new Bail Act or amendment.
Mottley cited instances of individuals committing further murders while on bail as justification for the proposed changes.
She said: “The government has indicated that it cannot be hamstrung purely on waiting for a judgment while people are doing foolishness out there. It is to my certain knowledge that there have been at least six victims of murder in recent years who themselves were charged with murder and on bail. It is to my certain knowledge that there were at least three people who have been charged with multiple murders, who themselves have been put on bail and repeated the murders.”
“We have made a determination that without prejudice to anything else, that there is sufficient work to be done and researched,” she said, noting that other Commonwealth jurisdictions have balanced “the interests of the rights of liberty with the interest of justice”.
The government is also addressing concerns about delays in court judgments. Mottley disclosed that action could be taken against judges found in breach of the constitutional requirement to deliver decisions within six months, following a pending report.
“I wrote a letter to the former chief justice based on letters written to me by members of the Bar asking for reports, and I am awaiting those reports,” Mottley said. “There is a process.
The public has objected, they’ve written to me, I have written to the former chief justice; I would imagine the former chief justice would have passed it over to the new chief justice.”
“Once that report comes, if there is a case to be answered, then all due actions will be taken. But we only received that letter in March or April and we wrote to the former chief justice, and we are yet to have the report back with us.”
Attorney General Dale Marshall, who joined the prime minister at the press briefing, acknowledged that while the delivery of judgments in civil cases “continues to be a serious challenge”, the criminal Bench has been “performing extraordinarily well”.
Mottley urged public cooperation in tackling crime, appealing to residents: “If you see something, say something.” She called for a coordinated effort involving police, social workers, mental health professionals, and community groups.
The prime minister also spoke about plans for public service announcements to encourage people to resolve conflicts, noting that some recent murders stemmed from disputes that “should never have seen people die in this country”.
“The only good thing is that a lot of the crime is not arbitrary,” she added. “But the direction that we are going in, is not one that we are prepared to accept.”
“The people whose lives are at risk are in our community.
The people who are causing the problems are in our community.
And, regrettably, a gun does not give you any error for recovery; and to that extent, therefore, if you are seeing people hiding guns around you, say something because you may be the next victim, or somebody who you love may be the next victim.
“We are therefore asking people to step up – and the stepping up is not just the people in the community to see something or say something, but we are asking for an organised programme to step up. We . . . need a coordinated effort between the police, between the social workers and psychologists, mental health workers, community development workers, with the life and parental coaches that we hope to establish soon, with the youth commissioners, and with all groups across the community.”
