Put crime at top of new police commissioner’s agenda, say Barbadians

As Commissioner of Police Sonia Boyce begins her tenure as the first woman to lead the Barbados Police Service, tackling crime should be her immediate priority, Barbadians have told Barbados TODAY. 

But they also suggested that the top cop should address the social issues they believe are contributing to crime

On Thursday, Commissioner Boyce was sworn in at State House, where she pledged reform, accountability, stronger investigations, greater police visibility and rebuilding public trust as the hallmarks of her leadership.

Wyville Callender said crime must be at the forefront of the commissioner’s agenda:

“I believe that crime is very very important,” he said. “She should look at that as one of the priorities.”

Boyce already had the experience needed for the position and deserved the full support of the organisation, Callender said. 

“She’s already an established officers I believe that she should get the respect that she deserves and so her other officers should work around her and give her that very very important help as she may progress in her new role.”

He also urged the police service to pay attention to offences beyond violent crime.

“People stealing and so on, I think it should pay some attention to that as well.”

Matthew Smith echoed concerns about rising criminal activity, particularly gun violence, saying it had affected his own family:

“First of all, I think she should tackle the crime in Barbados. It relates to the gun violence because, you know, a couple years ago, I had a cousin… he was severely injured due to gun violence.”

Smith also pointed to the role of illegal drugs:

“The drugs as well because that’s part of crime,” he said. “It helps stir up a lot of… war among people on the street.”

He warned that crime could also damage the tourism industry:

“The tourists in Barbados… that’s how Barbados helps generate income. So the less crime is in Barbados, the better it is for Barbados and not only Barbados, Caribbean.”

Abraham Sealy said: “One of the main issues I believe that the new commissioner should deal with is crime. It’s out of hand and we need to make the Barbadian public feel safe that the country is a safe place to be.”

He said maintaining Barbados’ reputation as a safe destination was critical:

“We survive off tourism. No tourists shouldn’t come and feel that it’s an unsafe place. They should be comfortable going in the street, in a ZR van, or walking through Bridgetown without being robbed.”

He added: “The guns is a serious thing in Barbados at the moment.”

While crime dominated the discussion, younger Barbadians also highlighted the importance of tackling the root causes of offending.

Nazaria Jordan-Mayers said: “I think that she should tackle violence in schools because I personally think it’s getting a bit out of hand.”

Jordan-Mayers also called for greater engagement with young people to challenge negative perceptions:

“I think that she should speak to the public about the stereotypes around young people and our attitudes because most older adults think that young people have rude mentalities and aren’t really serious about the world of work. 

“And I feel like if the stereotype is usually given to young people, we will start to believe it. And I don’t think that’s good for our economy and island.”

Shania Husbands said creating opportunities for young people could help prevent them from becoming involved in crime.

“Definitely… give jobs and opportunities to young people because not much of us have opportunities,” she said.

She argued that more long-term employment programmes were needed for school leavers and unemployed youth.

“Just give those students who are looking for money opportunities so they don’t [stay] on the streets and causing trouble.”