Ministers of government Adriel Brathwaite (Attorney General/Home Affairs)and Ronald Jones (Education) were in the news this week condemning rising gun violence in Barbados. The latest count is 7 gun killings this year compared to 2 for the same period last year. Brathwaite promised earlier this week strategies are in the offing to combat the worrying situation but it is no surprise he was not at liberty to allay the concerns of Barbadians by being specific. He hinted though he plans to speak to the Commissioner of Police. Very comforting. Ronald Jones attacked the issue from the angle of gender by urging males to be more responsible and to stop holding the society to ransom. Both ministers are to be congratulated for mouthing politically correct positions but at the same time must be criticized because of the leadership role they should be playing to arrest the situation.
There is a tendency to focus on enforcement, the need to be efficient supported by the judiciary is required to maintain a stable society. The other part of the equation, just as important, is not usually discussed with the same vigour – the need to factor causality. There must be a reason why an enlightened society in 2014 continues to produce too many dysfunctional young people comfortable with a gun toting role in the criminal world. The reality for some is that crime is a means of a survival. We can improve detection and punish all with greater efficiency but it will not stem the problem.
Barbados is a small island – 166 square miles – and it is easy for two or three bad apples to drag the reputation of Barbados through the mud. Gun violence has been on the rise for a long time though largely ignored. Authorities wrongly placed bets on an ease in gunplay with the discontinuation of the Guinness Fetes championed by Lil Rick and Voice of Barbados at the time. Barbadians are always slow to react and now the horse has bolted from the stable… Who can forget the willingness of the authorities to allow Vybz Kartel and Movado to spend some time with our children not too long ago. The same decision makers are in office today who we have to rely on to craft solutions. Are we optimistic about positive outcomes?
On the enforcement side of the equation we have the issue of 150 promotions in the police force mired in litigation for two years because of an inability of the Commissioner of Police to order his human resources. Should it not be obvious to our leaders in the Judiciary, Police Service Commission, Royal Barbados Police Force, Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite et al that this is a priory matter? Another example of Rome ablaze while the directorate is asleep.
About what is causing our youth to become distracted with crime and violence the reasons are many. At the top of the pile is the rising incidence of poverty in working class hoods. This is supported by the 2010 Country Poverty Assessment Reports. Where there is poverty the lure of quick money will be a challenge, made more attractive in a morally bankrupt environment. Remember the BU household is entitled to an opinion.
We cannot forget the revelations of the Alexandra Commission Inquiry. For many on the political horses it was a win or lose situation. For others there was the opportunity to see up close the opportunity to improve the management of our education system.
Connect the dots.
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