Against the background of a spike in the number of murders for 2019 – up by 200% compared to 2018 – the attempt by Deputy Commissioner of Police Erwin Boyce to assure the public that although the increase in the number of murders for 2019 is a worry, the overall crime rate was down to support his summation that Barbados is not gripped by a crime crisis.
The blogmaster understands the role Deputy Commissioner Boyce attempted to play in the prevailing environment. It is not dissimilar to what the late Prime Minister David Thompson, former Central Bank Governor Marion Williams and the late Supervisor of Insurance Wismar Greaves did when news broke that CL Financial in Trinidad had encountered hard times in 2007.
The time has come for Barbadians to accept that there is enough blame to go around to explain the current state that has seen 14 murders for the year. As the blogmaster is tapping the keys to post this blog there is a report of another shooting in the Black Rock area. On the ground what we are hearing is that gangs in Barbados have become very active in a fight for turf. This is not a situation that can be solved overnight by throwing security forces at the problem. There is irony in the memory of that time when the former Attorney General Maurice King pronounced that there were no gangs in Barbados.
We have to stop with the effusive rhetoric and political gamesmanship when discussing the escalating crime situation in Barbados. The blogmaster sides with the view that politicians will say anything to be elected which conflicts with what is required to govern. Some people give the impression they revel in the crime situation unravelling in Barbados. A true Bajan cannot feel joy at this time
For many years the blogmaster has been posting about the weeds sprouting on our manicured lawns. Many then accused BU of being overly negative, yet here we are. Our education system continues to graduate children who are functional illiterates and lack the capacity to exercise logic and reason among other deficiencies.
Where do we come from here?
The blogmaster is aware that in every community across the island they are citizens who if they were to listen to conscience are able to expose the criminal elements to the authorities. We have the opportunity to win back our little country by a few people doing the right thing. If as a country we fail to persuade those in our midst with information to share with the authorities, it will get worse. Is this the Barbados we want for our children?
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.