Experts urge early interventions, community partnerships to stem gun culture

Barbados recorded a decline in overall crime in 2025 compared with the previous year, but firearm-related offences soared by 60 per cent, signalling what experts call “shifting criminal dynamics” and a rise in violent, gun-driven criminality.

Major crimes against the person increased by 41 per cent, firearm-related crimes increased by 60 per cent with firearm-enabled crimes up by 65 per cent, according to the latest figures. 

“Robberies and shootings are driving these increases,” said Kirt Goodridge, senior statistician in the Criminal Justice Research and Planning Unit.

He stated that there had been an increase to 638 firearm-related crimes in 2025 compared with 2024’s tally of 400. He noted that within the category of other firearm-enabled crimes, such as possession of firearm and ammunition and use of firearm, the figure rose from 159 to 241, an increase of 52 per cent.

Meanwhile, in the firearm-enabled crime category of robbery, murder, endangering life/shooting with intent, aggravated burglary and other crimes, the figure jumped a staggering 65 per cent from 241 in 2024 to 397 in 2025. The majority of offences in this category were robberies, which rose from 62 to 157, followed by endangering life at 42 to 75 and other crimes from 68 to 73. The number of firearm homicides declined by one, from 34 in 2024 to 33.  

“With the exception of murder, all firearm-enabled crimes increased in 2025,” he said.

Goodridge further pointed out that the majority — 61 per cent — of all firearm-enabled murders occurred in the parish of St Michael, and that the average age of those arrested and charged was 24 years.

Addressing the Criminal Justice Research and Planning Unit’s strategic meeting to review crime in Barbados 2025, Goodridge said firearm criminality was becoming “more violent and concentrated”.

“The biggest policing and policy threats are now firearm proliferation, violent interpersonal crime and violent robbery. Socioeconomic or opportunistic crimes such as theft, fraud, cannabis or low-level drug offences are decreasing, suggesting shifting criminal dynamics. 

“So Barbados is experiencing less crime overall, but the crimes that do occur are becoming more violent and more firearm-driven. This shift signals an urgent need for targeted violence-reduction strategies, firearm control measures and focused intervention in high-risk districts, especially within the Bridgetown and St Michael areas.”

Overall, there was a four per cent dip in crimes between the two years, with 6 301 crimes recorded in 2024 and 6 063 in 2025.

The distribution of offences for 2025 was as follows: 916 drug crimes, 119 sex crimes, 638 firearm-related crimes, 641 major crimes against the person, 1 072 major crimes against property, 1 482 minor crimes, 237 white-collar crimes, and 32 cybercrimes.

Director of the unit, Cheryl Willoughby, stressed the need for early interventions from the “polyclinic stage”, and for a focus on materialism and gang cultures among young people, as well as drug abuse.

She highlighted that community policing was a necessary strategy to respond to the criminogenic risk factors within communities, but insisted that this must be supported by other community-based partners such as the National Council on Substance Abuse, the Child Care Board, youth commissioners and the National Peace Programme and other community partners.

Willoughby also advocated for strong rehabilitation programmes in prisons and the enactment of a parole system.

“This is no time to waste right now. We are at crisis stage. We had three murders over the weekend and we do not want to see another one anytime soon. So it is incumbent on us as the stakeholders working at the community level, and with young people, to ensure that we do the work that is necessary,” she added.