A gun amnesty is under consideration while the introduction of curfews is not off the table as lawmen search for strategies to respond to the rising gun violence that continued on Monday night.
And while acknowledging that anti-gang legislation has sometimes worked in other Caribbean countries, Commissioner of Police Richard Boyce said it was not a panacea for the island’s crime problem.
At one of several press conferences on Sunday, the island’s police chief said thought is being given to a gun amnesty programme to reduce the number of illegal firearms in circulation. This would allow individuals to surrender their firearms without facing prosecution. Boyce sees it as a critical tool for reducing gun violence.
“We need to get these firearms out of the hands of the criminals. A gun amnesty provides a way for persons to hand over their firearms without fear of legal repercussions,” he said, emphasising that the amnesty is part of a larger effort to make the streets safer and to prevent further bloodshed. Authorities plan to run a public awareness campaign encouraging people to take advantage of the opportunity to surrender their weapons once an amnesty is announced.
Alongside that strategy, it has been suggested that curfews be implemented in high-crime areas, particularly during nighttime hours when most shootings occur. Boyce did not rule out that possibility.
Asked about tougher measures, including anti-gang legislation, he pointed out that countries like Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago have implemented such laws as well as declared states of emergency to help law enforcement dismantle organised criminal groups and impose harsher penalties, “and it works sometimes, and sometimes it doesn’t work”.
However, the top cop said laws alone won’t solve the problem.
“We have to try every avenue… but one of the main things that we have to look at, in addition to that, is the demand factor for these firearms,” he said.
Earlier this year, Opposition Leader Ralph Thorne called on the government to introduce anti-gang legislation in response to the surge in homicides. Attorney General Dale Marshall said the administration had not ruled it out.
“No options are off the table,” he said. “It is something that I, as AG, am considering. It is something that, when I consider it, I will have a discussion with Cabinet and see if I can get Cabinet’s feel on it. But I will not say that the government at this time has made a determination about anti-gang legislation. It’s something that we spoke about previously.”
The easy availability of illegal firearms continues to be a major driver of homicides, with guns entering Barbados via various methods, including small fishing vessels and hidden in cargo. Boyce said law enforcement is working with stakeholders to tighten border controls and prevent firearms from entering the country.
“We are fully aware of that problem, and I can assure you that recent discussions with our stakeholders [show] things are moving in the right direction in protecting our borders,” he said.
The police commissioner admitted that the police force is also grappling with a staff shortage, operating with 1 232 officers out of a required 1 530. To address this issue, the police service has launched recruitment drives, aiming to bring more officers into the force.
Boyce expressed optimism about these efforts: “We are seeing more persons coming in, filling out the forms, and going through the process of interviews to make that move into the organisation…. Having those persons come on board will no doubt have a positive impact.”
The police press conferences on Sunday came on the heels of a mass shooting at a bar in Nelson Street the day before when masked men killed three people and injured eight others.
On Monday night, lawmen were probing another shooting, this time in St Christopher, Christ Church, where a gunman left a man with multiple injuries. His identity and condition were not known up to late Monday night.
Amid the crime surge, Bishop of Barbados, the Right Reverend Michael Maxwell issued a statement condemning the acts of violence and appealing to those caught up in the gang and gun culture to put down their weapons.
“Please cease from seeking vengeance and the life of the one who offended you, harming innocent bystanders and causing distress to the lives of those families who lose loved ones through these violent crimes,” he pleaded on Monday night. “Always be mindful of the saying ‘crime does not pay’ and there is a better way to live your life than always being on the hunt to take a life or being on the run from losing yours.”
Bishop Maxwell said it was the prayer of the Anglican Church “that we will be able to break this cycle of precious lives being lost by way of violent crimes and stay clear of the record high number tallied in 2019 of 48 murders”.
After several forums on discussing the crime issue, the Anglican Bishop said, it is time for decisive action: “Action focused not only on having walks or marches for peace and safety or the observance of days for praying for peace as important as both of these are, not simply action by the police and defence force, assisted by the community, in capturing and penalising offenders by way of incarceration that hopefully will also include rehabilitation, but action that is also based on seeking to transform the will, heart and mind of those who are on the verge of committing such heinous acts and providing the means or opportunity for them to be gainfully employed and make an honest living.”
