Gang truce good, but not enough – Stuart

Former Prime Minister Freundel Stuart says a recent truce between warring gangs is welcomed but can only be a first step to restoring peace.

He stressed that other actions must be taken by Attorney General Dale Marshall and Minister in the Attorney General’s office with responsibility for Crime Prevention Corey Lane before Barbadians can feel safe, including getting the guns out of the hands of those groups who have agreed to bury the hatchet.

Last Friday, it was reported that as a result of an initiative spearheaded by members of the affected communities, the leaders of rival gangs had met and agreed to end their war which had spawned incidents of violence over the years.

Addressing the Democratic Labour Party’s St. Michael South East branch meeting on Sunday at the Parkinson Memorial School, Stuart said more is required to deal with the violence plaguing the country in recent times.

“Phase two will have to be that the Minister with responsibility for Crime Prevention and the Attorney General are going to lead all of those young men, on a day appointed, to Central Police Station to hand over their firearms because if the truce breaks down, you can’t afford for those people to be still armed because we will be back at square one,” he said. 

“So let us wait for phase two and don’t get too carried away with phase one yet.” 

Speaking under the theme Barbados Today, Four Years And Eight Months Later, the former DLP leader said he genuinely” wishes the initiative well, noting that Barbadians have been feeling unsafe due to the escalating gunplay which has claimed several lives.

“Socially, we are in a state of confusion and a state of insecurity as well, because we still don’t feel safe on our streets or even in our homes. And until phase two of the truce happens and we are certain that the real menace, the firearms, are in police custody and not in the custody of those who have wielded them so ruthlessly over the last few years, we cannot afford to relax our guard yet,” Stuart added.

(JB)