CTUSAB questions need for new crime unit

The Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB) has criticised the establishment of a Serious Organised Crime Unit within The Barbados Police Service, arguing it is unnecessary given existing departments tasked with fighting crime.

At a virtual press conference on Wednesday, CTUSAB General Secretary Dennis De Peiza questioned the rationale behind creating the new unit when the police service is already short-staffed.

“I don’t think we need to reinvent the wheel. We need to consolidate what we have and try to move as swiftly as possible because we waited until the horse bolted and [are] now trying to pull it back,” De Peiza said.

He pointed out that gun violence has been a serious issue for over a decade, with the island recording 27 homicides so far this year, most of them gun-related.

De Peiza argued that the Criminal Investigation Department, Special Branch and Special Services Unit should be capable of addressing gang-related crime.

“I think you need to have, if anything, to further empower by way of resources, the police service to be able to effectively do the job it has to do,” he said.

The union leader criticised authorities for not doing enough to crack down on crime in recent years.

“Somewhere along the line, the ball is being dropped,” he said, urging stronger action to secure borders and track the source of illegal firearms.

“Get the guns, find who has them, who’s bringing them, get them off the street and put those people where they belong,” De Peiza said. “Otherwise, this epidemic as we have referred to the public health issue, is going to broaden itself and create a society for us that might become under siege.”

He also expressed concern about Barbados adopting North American cultural influences, such as attitudes towards smoking, corporal punishment and toy guns, warning of serious implications for children’s socialisation.

CTUSAB President Abdon DaSilva called for more research into gun crime and gangs in Barbados, suggesting the country could learn from other Caribbean territories facing similar challenges.

Both union leaders stressed that gun violence and youth deviance should be treated as a societal and public health issue rather than a political one. They advocated for early intervention to address deviant behaviour in children and evidence-based strategies to combat crime.