Failing Recurring Crime Fighting Tactics

Barbados is currently experiencing another crime wave and to be expected it is being politicized which is part of the problem. How does the crime problem get fixed if family members and friends protect the criminals? Same people who were responsible for giving birth to the very monsters terrorizing the country?

This is an oversimplification of the problem to make a bigger point – observations suggest traditional tactics supported by a slow justice system and ‘not fit for purpose laws’ are being used to tackle the crime challenge. Sensible people know the approach being undertaken by authorities will NOT arrest the problem.

From an enforcement angle BOLD measures have to be taken to send messages to the criminal element of a zero tolerance to crime, especially gun crime.

On the other side of the issue, parents and guardians have to also be held accountable. Many in our neck of the woods will not condone Rodrigo Duterte’s methods, it is bitter but it works based on Philippine’s crime index. The time has come and gone for creative crime fighting solutions to be implemented albeit Barbados’ once pristine reputation ican be found in the toilet.

Blogmaster


The following comment was posted by BU family member Artax to the Number of Murders On-track to Surpass 2021 blog.

Over the years, we’ve been having discussions on BU about the crime situation in Barbados.
And, there will obviously be attempts by some persons to politicize the situation.

I agree with AG Marshall “that the recent spate of killings resulted from gunmen in specific “groups” targeting each other,”…… and not “gangs,” as Trisha Tannis is suggesting.
Marshall would’ve obviously made his observations based on certain intelligence.

However, as I mentioned in an October 25th, 2020 12:28 PM contribution to another ‘crime thread,’…… “if one examines the gun crimes carefully, it is evident they were on the rise since 2014 and a gradual increase was expected.”

On November 11th, 2015, an ‘Updated Homicide Study’ by the Criminal Justice Research and Planning Unit revealed that 42% of the approximately 140 homicides recorded between 2010 and 2014, were as a result of guns…… ‘a trend observed as far back as 1992, and which continued to be the most common method used today.’

Evidence suggests that several persons who died as a result of shooting were not involved in ‘gangs,’ but died as a result of retaliation or revenge, petty ‘beefs’ involving women, drugs money, robberies etc.

For example, November 29th, 2014, 31 year old Ricardo Francois and other men were at bar in Danesbury, Black Rock, when some men got out of a car and started shooting.
Francois was found dead behind the shop, while four other individuals were injured…… one of whom was the son of Ricardo ‘Rick’ Bryan.
On September 1st, 2016, Ricardo ‘Rick’ Bryan, 46, of Black Rock, St Michael, was shot multiple times by three men as he exited his vehicle, outside the Lucky Horseshoe Saloon & Steakhouse in Warrens, St Michael.

Forty-four (44) year-old Jerome Oneal ‘Wild Geese’ Bovell of Spring Garden, Black Rock, St. Michael, was shot and killed in Goddings Road, St Stephen’s Hill, Black Rock, St Michael, on June 28th, 2017.
It is alleged Bovell was a ‘hit man’ and responsible for the death of Stephen Leonard Agard, 47 years of #10 Valley, St. George, who, on June 10th, 2017, was shot multiple times while standing outside his vehicle, which was parked on the compound of the old KFC building in Black Rock.

I’m sure everyone remembered when a man walked into Sheraton Center Mall, shot and killed 33 year old Damien Trotman, on March 22nd, 2019.

Another fact is, there are ‘hit men’ in Barbados. Men who are willing to kill anyone for cash or drugs.

Information and statistics about crime in Barbados is available to the public, enabling anyone desirous of having a rational discussion on the issue, to do so.

-Artax

98 thoughts on “Failing Recurring Crime Fighting Tactics


  1. @ David

    The discussion about ‘hitmen’ isn’t anything new.

    Former CoP Griffith was reported by the October 9, 2016 edition of the ‘Nation’ as having said, ‘he has no evidence of hitmen being hired to commit murders in Barbados,’

    The Thursday, November 19th, 2015 edition of the ‘Nation’ published an article from Jamaica, entitled, “Rise in Contract Killings,” in which that island’s Commissioner of Police, Dr. Carl Williams, expressed concern about the increasing number of murders being carried out by ‘hitmen.’
    He revealed police were seeing a new class of hitmen, “who are carrying out contract killings on behalf of persons seeking to get rid of others with whom they have disagreements.”

    Interestingly, the authorities in Trinidad and Guyana expressed similar concerns about ‘hitmen’ as well.

    In July 2020, then National Security Minister, Senator Hermangild Francis, confirmed murder-for-hire was active in St. Lucia.
    A situation, which according to him, was ‘very worrying.’
    And, while not new, the problem of ‘hitmen’ on island was becoming more significant.

    SVG Police reported that, in the early morning hours of August 7th, 2018, acting on information received, police officers from the Special Patrol and Narcotics Units, conducted a joint operation at a guest house in Lowmans, Leeward, where a Barbadian male, identified as former BDF soldier, Timothy Bancroft, was taken into custody.
    The information, which Police believed to be credible, indicated Bancroft visited the island ‘to do a hit,’ but was apprehended before he could commit the crime.
    However, the former soldier claimed he was in SVG to buy drugs to return to Barbados.
    Bancroft was subsequently charged for conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, to which he pleaded guilty, and was fined EC$4,000 forthwith.


    • @Artax

      Nothing is new however yhe danger is the degree of this activity now compared to years ago. The crime landscape is deteriorating.


  2. @ David

    Another thing…… contrary to popular belief, similarly to how ordinary Barbadians who are aware of known criminals involved in illegal activities, because they ‘have ears on the ground’ or heard the ‘word on the streets,’ the police are ALSO AWARE.

    They are police officers whose specific duties involve the gathering of intelligence, while others are responsible for its compilation.

    Some of those same persons who have their ‘ears on the ground,’ are police informants.
    Covert human intelligence sources, surveillance, questioning persons who are suspected of committing crimes or police officers going into certain districts to get information, are some of the methods used to gather intelligence.

    Bear in mind, although intelligence is derived from information, there is a significant difference between both terms.
    Whereas ‘information’ may be simply defined as unevaluated, unverified or unanalyzed data gathered from several sources……
    …… ‘intelligence,’ is basically analyzed, evaluated or contexualized data, usually gathered from trusted sources.

    I don’t know if you remember, but, a few years ago, the identity of the person who won ‘Police Officer of the Year’ award, at that time, had to be withheld from publication due to the nature of his duties.

    Also, I know of a situation involving two officers who protested when they were transferred from performing particular duties to uniformed duties, because they feared being recognized as policemen would’ve placed their lives in jeopardy.

    But, the answer to the question, with all the sources of gathering information, ‘why nuh big boys don’t get lock up,’…… is a topic for another discussion.


    • @Artax

      You are correct of course. The blogmaster is aware of police officers working undercover as hotel workers for example. The police force has been intelligence gathering, the issue seems to be the inability to convert to a charge.


  3. “The Police are part of the criminal problem.
    NTSH….”
    ~~~~~~~~~~

    True.

    And, so too are persons, who, rather than fulfill their civic duties, would prefer to blame the police, while ‘turning a blind eye,’ and ‘say,’ “NTSH.”


  4. I would make Tannis the CoP

    From BT
    “As a country, they have told us that we have invested in scanners at ports of entry. It is difficult to think that in an island of 166 square miles that we [don’t] have intelligence that tells us where the issues are, and to our minds the only issue we have is one of accountability.

    “We simply have to take action on the intelligence that we have. It would not be easy to convince me that we do not know where the smoking gun is, no pun intended. And we have to get to a stage where regardless of where the smoke is coming from, who it is pointing to, regardless of what sphere of society they may be, we have got to take action,” Tannis insisted during an interview on the Down to Brass Tacks call-in programme on VOB on Monday.


  5. Tannis for AG

    I am no lawyer. I am probably what some would call a ‘bleeding heart liberal’ but I would put my intuition about what is fair and respectful up against the AG law degree any day. The AG is an ass.

    From BT
    “In May 2021, High Court judge Madame Justice Shona Griffith ruled as “unconstitutional”, a section of the Bail (Amendment) Act 2019 that forces the courts to remand persons charged with murder or serious firearm offences for 24 months before they can qualify for bail. The Office of the Attorney General has filed an appeal against that ruling and that matter is still pending.’


  6. The desire to remand people ‘for 24 months before they can qualify for bail’
    Is a sign of incompetence. Not convince that they can close the deal, they would seek to punish before going to trial.


    • You understand the request to remand for 24 months was an attempt to prevent people on bail from committing crimes? It is no secret much of the current unrest/murders involve idiots on bail.


  7. One would think getting money from a lawyer would take a few days, but it can take years or never happens.

    Have a trial within a reasonable time and depending on the outcome.. release or jail. Time to stop crying about the slow wheel of injustice. Fix it. We have this expression ‘cut bait or fish’.


  8. Theo….don’t hold your breath,,,,they can’t change course..

    these beasts just disenfranchised the entire region’s children and before anyone could,, publicly protest jumped in the media AND LIED ON THE CHILDREN they dienfranchised..

    they are ALL FRAUDS….andcan’tt be or do anything except for what they are doing running EVERYTHING INTO THE GROUND…..that’s all they are good for next to what they are known best for….. ….none of it any good…


  9. befire anyone could……publicly protest they jumped in the media AND LIED ON THE CHILDREN they disenfranchised..

    and can’t be or do anything except for what they are doing ….running EVERYTHING INTO THE GROUND

    the quicker the people move out of their dangerous corrupt orbit…the better off they will be….


  10. Our Supreme Leader must finally crack down on the judiciary, which is part of the crime problem. Justice Shona Griffith has abused her power. Our Supreme Leader MUST act now and take her out.

    We do not want criminal conditions like in the other pepper islands and all the hellholes in South America, Asia and Africa.

    Soon the remaining tourists run away from us because the natives slaughter each other like animals. Justice Shona Griffith bears FULL responsibility for this dramatic situation!


  11. How does the Barbados Police Service need to win the public’s confidence? This does not help.

    Cops told: Get the basics right

    by HEATHER-LYNN EVANSON
    heatherlynevanson@nationnews.com
    LESS THAN A WEEK after Magistrate Kim Butcher chastised lawmen for failing to give an accused his constitutionally due telephone call while in custody, police have once again been admonished.
    This time it is by Chief Magistrate Ian Weekes, who has urged police to not only allow accused those phone calls but also verify the addresses of people in their custody. “These are the standards that are to be met. And I am saying this too. The Barbados Police Service isn’t just accountable to me. It’s about your international standing and ranking and whether you will meet the criteria established by the international agencies,” Chief Magistrate Weekes declared yesterday.
    “This is 2022, nearly 2023. We can’t be doing these things now. You all see all the lawsuits that are happening? These are straightforward things that can easily be addressed.”
    The Chief Magistrate’s comments came as Renison Isaiah Prince appeared before him in the District “A” Magistrates’ Court.
    A week ago, when Prince appeared before the District “A” Traffic Court on a theft charge and signed his bond, his address was given as Callenders, Christ Church.
    Yesterday, when he appeared on a criminal damage offence, his charge sheet indicated he lived at Thornbury Hill.
    Mix-up
    “That means somebody was
    mixing up the information from day one,” Prince said, adding that he lived with his father at Thornbury Hill.
    “I mussee sign and didn’t read what I was signing,” he said.
    Weekes then asked if any of the lawmen who had dealt with Prince had verified his address.
    “I read with great interest that my sister [Magistrate Kim Butcher] spoke about not giving people a call when in custody,” Weekes said.
    “And I was glad to read that because the police don’t understand that when a man is in custody, there has to be transparency.
    “You got to give a man a call. When there is no objection to bail, you cannot have the man coming up here and the man ain’t get nobody or get no call to sign bail,” he noted.
    The Chief Magistrate then questioned whether police had spoken to the accused man’s father and what was the basis for putting down that address.
    “People keep coming in here on charge sheets saying they have no fixed place of abode. Then the man would tell you he live at his aunt and nobody is in a position from the Barbados Police Service to say we spoke to his aunt to confirm he does not live there, he used to live there and ‘I put him out’,” he said.
    Phone call
    He then asked Prince if he had been granted a phone call while in custody. Prince replied he had not.
    “These are basic and routine. If he was offered the right to an attorney, the law does not require a police officer to rattle off that big,
    long statement about his right to an attorney.
    “All you have to do is tell a man in a language he understands,” he said.
    The court was then informed that police had not verified the accused man’s address.
    Weekes also bemoaned the lack of specificity in addresses, saying charge sheets sometimes had general addresses like St Patrick’s, Christ Church.
    “There are now developments in St Patrick’s. So the question is where exactly in St Patrick’s does the man live. Some basic things that they are not getting right.”
    It was last Thursday that Traffic Court Magistrate Butcher had expressed displeasure with lawmen who do not give accused their constitutionally due telephone calls while in custody.
    “Are we not tired of matters being thrown out when they get to the High Court and damages being paid?” she had asked.

    Source: Nation


  12. What is a middle aged security guard expected to do?

    BUT calls for beefed-up security at schools
    GOVERNMENT IS BEING URGED to increase security at schools as soon as possible.
    President of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT), Rudy Lovell, made that plea yesterday as he raised concern about the recent spike in gun violence.
    “While the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the teaching and learning process remains foremost in the minds of all educators, the BUT is worried about the escalating crime and violence in Barbados. This is especially so given that schools are a microcosm of society.
    “We note that some primary schools are without security guards, and students and teachers at these schools are exposed to various uncertainties. There have been instances reported by members and even on record in the media of
    violent crimes perpetrated in close proximity to schools,” Lovell said in a statement.
    So far, there have been 29 murders this year, and most of the victims were fatally shot.
    Although concerned about safety, the BUT made it clear that its members were ready to return to the classroom but needed that concern addressed.
    “At a recently held meeting, the BUT membership indicated they are ready to return to the classroom, amidst a few concerns regarding the proposed structure outlined by the Ministry of Education.
    “These concerns do not diminish their commitment to the teaching and learning process as the union continues to discuss these issues with the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training. However, it is against this backdrop
    that we urge those in authority to be proactive and not wait until something happens to respond to this issue. We hope that the problem of a lack of security guards at some schools can be speedily rectified,” he added. (TG)

    Source: Nation


  13. Stray bullet fear for the innocent

    FIVE LIVES IN five days!
    Let me just say at the outset that I would not want to trade places with the Commissioner of Police Richard Boyce.
    That seat must not only be uncomfortable right now but hot.
    With five gun-related murders recorded in a week, Barbadians across the length and breadth of this country have been vocal on the issue of crime.
    Let’s face it, many people are uncomfortable and some feel a little jittery – and rightfully so.
    And while I respect the facts that came out of the recently held police press conference, especially the point that all of those who died at the hands of a gun last week (the fifth murder had not occurred at the time of the press conference) were associated with groups which have been warring among themselves, I am sure I speak for a number of Barbadians that this does not make the situation any more palatable.
    Lest our officials forget, there is such a thing as a stray bullet, and there is also a saying about being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
    It is all too possible for innocent people to be caught in the crossfire of those who are fighting against each other.
    I am not here to tear down the work of police officers, but people are very concerned about the state of crime in the country, myself included. We have heard your reassurances that you have it under control. We also appreciate the fact that all the details surrounding these investigations cannot be put in the public domain due to national security.
    We just want these crimes to stop. It is the one issue that dominated headlines last week and had many looking over their shoulders in fear, especially those living in the areas where the shootings took place.
    And, how can you blame them? It cannot be easy for these residents to put their heads down at night and sleep peacefully, not knowing if more gunshots will ring out and claim the life of someone they know.
    Years ago, too, some areas were tainted and marked as being “bad” because of the widespread crimes that occurred. This cannot be said today.
    Attorney General Dale Marshall also attended the press conference and disclosed that one of the four men gunned down was being investigated for at least three murders.
    Different road
    This could take me down a totally different road, albeit still related. Repeated calls have been made about individuals committing serious crimes and being out on bail. That is a column for another time.
    Marshall also said all of the men (again, up to the day of the press conference) who died were also known to the police.
    Boyce said the men were also known to each other.
    Another interesting fact that came out at that press conference was that 14 of the 21 people gunned down this year were on bail for various serious offences, including murder, use of a firearm, possession of a firearm and serious bodily harm.
    We need to arrest this problem, and fast, not only as we look to protect our citizens but also to protect those who will be spending big bucks to vacation here, especially as we approach our winter season.
    I also want to quickly touch on the ease in protocols.
    I am still not too keen on people coming too close to me, three-foot distance protocol in effect or not.
    As far as I am concerned, COVID-19 is still around.
    It was incredible to witness on my vacation in North America that there were countless people not wearing masks. In fact, I was in the minority.
    Fortunately for me on the plane ride up, I was seated next to an older couple who had their masks on, only taking them off for a quick nibble.
    On my return trip, I was beside another older couple, on their way to Barbados for the first time, who also wore masks. Theirs only came off as they drank their complimentary beverages.
    The captain on the plane took pains to point out in an announcement that masks were not required and passengers must respect those who choose not to wear masks.
    I was happy that I lucked out on both occasions to be seated next to individuals who opted to keep their masks on.
    When I landed at Grantley Adams International Airport, officials were also not playing around and each and every passenger had to put on their masks while coming through Customs.
    I get that we still have to live comfortably and that life is resuming to some normalcy, but we still have to be responsible for our own safety and health.
    So just because there has been an ease whereby the three-foot physical distance rule is no longer in effect, it doesn’t mean we should totally drop our guard.
    Many of us still have loved ones at home who we need to protect.
    There has been some concern expressed already about the number of elderly people dying of COVID-19.
    Life must go on, yes, but we must still exercise a level of caution and not throw caution to the wind. We still have to protect ourselves, those we love and the elderly.

    Source: Nation


  14. News items that make you go hmmmm.

    Mayor: Police, parents have jobs to do
    by TONY BEST WITH DEADLY GUN VIOLENCE unnerving residents of New York and Barbados, New York City’s new mayor, Eric Adams, seemingly has a prescription for the problem in both places.
    It is: let the police, courts, parents and others get on with their jobs of helping to fight crime and raise God-fearing children who know right from wrong.
    Asked in Brooklyn about the recent spate of cases involving the deadly use of guns in the two jurisdictions – New York and Barbados – Adams told the MIDWEEK NATION he wasn’t rushing to second-guess parents and law enforcement agencies as they seek to battle lawbreakers.
    “It’s a combination of factors,” said the former police captain in the Big Apple, who later became a New York State senator in Albany, the state capital, before being elected the first black borough president of Brooklyn, and eight years later, New York City’s chief executive.
    “The police officers have their jobs to do. Parents have their jobs to do – the shooters are becoming younger and younger and the victims are also becoming younger and younger. Our judges [and the courts] must do their jobs after letting out people who are dangerous. The courts must do their jobs. Lawmakers [in the legislature of New York and Parliament in Barbados and the rest of the Caribbean] must also do their jobs,” Adams said.
    “People everywhere were passing laws to protect people who commit crimes. We need to pass laws to protect people who are victims of crime,” added the mayor, who assumed duties last January after being elected to the top job at City Hall last November.
    Victims
    “I support people who are victims. I do not support those who continue to commit violence and otherwise break criminal laws.”
    A few months ago, Adams expressed concern about the steady flow of American-made guns into New York City and Caribbean island-nations and said he wanted to work alongside Caribbean communities in and out of New York to help stem the tide of deadly weapons and violence.
    “We want to open up a relationship with the Caribbean community [in New York] because the problems you are finding back home [in the Caribbean], many of them were being fed by this country (US),” he told a predominantly West Indian immigrant audience at Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s official residence.
    “Gun violence that is born here (US) finds its way to Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Haiti, St Vincent [and Barbados]. We are talking about ending gun violence. We are talking about guns that are manufactured in America and find their way to your home island and your home country.”
    Carnival
    Adams made his more recent comments on Monday shortly before heading down the West Indian Carnival parade route of Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn to celebrate the return of the colourful cultural festival that routinely attracts more than a million revellers and spectators.
    He was quick to draw attention to the fact that there weren’t any incidents of violence along the Brooklyn thoroughfare.

    Source: Nation


  15. Missing from all the debate is how do WE intend to change the increasing crime trend.The same old will not work. Drastic measures need to be taken – this is a fight all of us must enter for the greater good.

    Gang crime worry
    Economists fear further setback to economy
    by COLVILLE MOUNSEY
    colvillemounsey@nationnews.com

    WITH THE WINTER TOURIST season just two months away, one economist is warning that Barbados cannot afford to have gun violence derail what he believes will be a make-orbreak season in terms of the country’s economic recovery.
    Professor Emeritus Michael Howard of the University of the West Indies said the revelation of what by all accounts is an ensuing “gang war” had the potential to be another spoke in the wheel of a sector beset by challenges for the last three years.
    ‘Dangerous ground’
    “I can tell you from an economic perspective that we are treading on dangerous ground. I note that the police are referring to them as groups attacking each other, but we all know what these groups are.
    “All it takes is one international headline and a travel advisory and we are looking at a serious problem. No one wants to be the victim of a stray bullet; a number of the vicious acts have been caught on camera and it is clear that these persons are not concerned with reducing collateral damage. The fact that our statistics are not at the level of Trinidad or Jamaica does not mean that our reputation won’t be just as bad,” Howard said.
    He added: “It does not help trying to paint a picture that this is just groups of people fighting among each other and therefore the rest of society is not affected. The effects of this are far-reaching because right now there is a pervading sense of fear and fear keeps people away.”
    Fellow economist Jeremy Stephen said based on his academic research six years ago, the current economic conditions, especially the ongoing cost of living crunch, tend to provide
    the perfect conditions for an increase in the power base of gang leaders.
    Stephen said he was not surprised by the current state of affairs. He contended that his research showed that while gangs tend to be prevalent even within the best of economic times, territorial fights tend to intensify during lean times.
    “Economies that are flourishing can have gang violence, but the underlying issues tend to differ from those that are struggling. Even in developed economies like Barbados, you would find different areas where opportunities tend to miss a lot of people typically and therefore when the wider economy itself struggles, those persons are the most vulnerable.
    Criminal activity
    “You would therefore expect that any garrisons that form, any influential persons within those communities that lend themselves to criminal activity, will find even more impetus for criminal activity to flourish,” Stephen explained.
    Stephen, a former banking and finance lecturer at the UWI, Cave Hill Campus, pointed out that economic activity, albeit criminal in nature, tend to pick up in these vulnerable areas, as the wider economy struggles.
    “As things worsen in the wider economy you tend to find that things in these underprivileged zones become a little more heated and economic activity in those zones pick up because more people are drawn to it. As a result, people tend to become more territorial, and the balance is fickle.
    “You tend to find that things that might normally go unnoticed, now tend to have very aggressive responses, especially during hard times. Based on the research I did six years ago, these gang leaders tend to keep their communities balanced, and around these hard times they become even more influential.”
    During a press conference last Friday, Commissioner of Police Richard Boyce said the already alarming murder rate of 29 deaths
    so far for the year could have been higher if police had not placed some targets in protective custody.
    Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police David Griffith further disclosed: “From our investigation, it is very clear to us the majority of these murders are persons affiliated with these groups and they are exacting their own vengeance.”
    Griffith did not disclose the areas where these groups exist, but noted that they were not new, and the warring was confined to within these particular groups.

    Source: Nation


  16. The G Story (title of my next book)
    Put a Criminal or Gangster in Jail..
    … and,
    … they will come out a better Criminal Gangster …


  17. Didn’t read the last (4:42 a.m) post. It started with some ‘tourist’ stuff and my mind got foggy.

    This and one of the post above appear to be more concerned about the tourists than the locals and citizens.

    And that is where they get it wrong. Everyone knows that the tourist is a heavily protected species. Mess with a tourist and the crime gets solved and people get jailed.

    Place emphasis on combating crime against citizens. Put the same or more effort into protecting your citizens.

    Tired of hearing “what if a tourist is a victim”.

    BTW: Crime happens in good times, in bad times, in good neighborhoods, in bad neighborhoods, in the wrong places, at the wrong time……


  18. @4:38 a.m.
    “We need to arrest this problem, and fast, not only as we look to protect our citizens but also to protect those who will be spending big bucks to vacation here, especially as we approach our winter season.”

    This two-part article. Is just a regurgitation of what you see here on BU about the crime situation. The second part is about the journey of a face mask to New York and back.


  19. The problem starts and ends with the court system.

    All cases involving gun possession, assault or killings using guns, cutlass or knives or otherwise pose a danger to society MUST have their trials started within 2-4 weeks after charges are brought by the police.


    • @CA

      How is what you suggest possible if we are to believe Chief Magistrate Weekes the BPS is often not bothered to validate the address of those charged or allow them a one phone call?


    • On another note the blogmaster tuned in for a few minutes yesterday to the callin show in time to listen to the moderator (a lawyer) cautioning callers the danger in suggesting changes to existing laws that would offend the rights of the many because of the few.

      A bit of feedback to the moderator- will the majority want to maintain their liberties while the society is going to hell in a hand basket?


  20. “Mess with a tourist and the crime gets solved and people get jailed.

    Place emphasis on combating crime against citizens. Put the same or more effort into protecting your citizens.

    Tired of hearing “what if a tourist is a victim”.

    again….don’t hold your breath….they have NO CONNECTION to the big picture or the reality BEARING DOWN ON THEM………still relying on information from the 17-1800s to trap the people indefinitely in soci0-economic bondage…

    everything is tits up and ass backwards…the above the weight punching…..that will NEVER work out….or benefit the majority…


  21. https://barbadostoday.bb/2022/08/23/jail-jackman/
    Only the very last sentence is important “Jackman is expected to know his fate on November 9”.

    Why not hold him on remand for two years and let him know the sentence afterwards.

    The injustice system can be deliberately slow when it wants to be. It can turn on a dime for some petty crimes,but can also become an ocean liner making a turn.

    Two schools of thought
    (1) Nothing works or
    (2) Things work as they are supposed to.
    and both are right.


  22. Did I say “have a great day”
    “And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy”.

    It is indeed a beautiful world. Our goal should be to make it even more beautiful.
    Have a great day, Barbados.


  23. Isn’t Earnest Jackman on remand?👍
    You caught me there. Sent me searching BT for his tstus.

    “Jackman, who is from St Philip, has been on remand at Dodds prison since May 31 pending sentencing following his conviction by jury for stealing and using over half a million dollars of a client’s money..”

    Will assume he is still on remand and not walking the streets, Let’s cut that November 9 to September 9 and just give the man the 8 or 99 years that he deserves.

    —x—

    I was tempted to do the usual BU thing and shift the goal post.

    🙂 It would have gone something like this
    You tell me if he is and whilst you are at it tell me why CH is or isn’t on remand. Why is he entitled to a “get out of jail free card? That should concern you more. 🙂

    But on my way out and will play fair.


  24. BTW: I just convinced myself that to use CH’s name in the way we often do is not fair.
    I truly believe he got away with something, but we use him as a blanket to cover up flaws in some of our arguments. or as target practice.


  25. Words to remove from my vocabulary
    CH
    KK
    migrant
    black
    90,000
    80,000

    Did you see how I set that piece of bait.
    Will be later to see if I caught anything.
    Enjoy your day.


  26. What about LP?

    Is he still on $1.5M bail since 2020?

    “Is he entitled to a “get out of jail free card” as well?

    Or, as someone ‘said,’ perhaps LP is being treated unfairly because he “did not go to Harrison College or get a Barbados Scholarship,”…… or originated from the upper echelons of society.


  27. Very familiar
    A former AG: there no gangs , just wayward youth Maurice King ( AG DLP)
    No gangs but groups of people. Dale Marshall ( AG BLP)

    Very interesting
    Overheard:
    “There goes that gang that shoots people”
    @That’s no gang it’s a group”

    Peace.


  28. TheOGazerts on Failing
    Recurring Crime
    Fighting Tactics

    Words to remove from my
    vocabulary CH KK migrant black
    90,000 80,000 Did you see how I
    set that piece…

    You did mention those words
    subconscious
    CH KK migrant black 90,000 80,000 are responsible for black on black crime


  29. “No gangs but groups of people. Dale Marshall ( AG BLP)”

    so where did these “fellas carrying out hits on each other and have to be put in protective custody” come from….


  30. William…people are noticing that these “hits” assassinations of Afrikan people were PLANNED AND COORDINATED TO COINCIDE with the AfriCaribbean conference…

    but all it did was SHOWCASE THE LEVEL OF CORRUPTION, OPPRESSION, SUPPRESSION, DISENFRANCHISEMENT and POVERTY that leads to CRIMES…

    even that SCAM failed…


  31. @David, the word ‘start’ must be considered in its most basic of meanings…

    I don’t know the background of your response re “How is what you suggest possible if we are to believe Chief Magistrate Weekes the BPS is often not bothered to validate the address of those charged or allow them a one phone call?” … but common sense says that it’s very difficult to get fully ‘loaded’ to start within 2-4 weeks a criminal case for murder, assault and such UNLESS you catch the perpetrators in the act or develop immediate positive evidence that links them to the crime.

    The need for a speedy trail or rather promptly solving ‘capital cases’ is understood but its insane to expect all the evidence gathering, witness depositions and lawyering matters etc ad nauseum to be completed withing a month …. to move the matter fully onto the docket!

    At best you get evidence of a possible suspect in that time and can START by making an arrest and can move to the preliminary hearing but then it’s quite a tad longer to fully build the case for prosecution, not so!

    Why this impractical palaver!


  32. Affirmation
    Energy Level 12

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p184Z3LYAbY
    I am more than my physical body, because I am more than physical matter I can perceive that which is greater than the physical world.
    Therefore I deeply desire to expand experience know understand to control to use such greater energies and energy systems as may be beneficial and constructive to me to those that follow me.
    Also, I deeply desire the help the cooperation the assistance the understanding of those individuals who’s wisdom development and experience are equal or greater than my own.
    I ask their guidance and protection from any influence or any source that might provide me with less than my stated desires.


  33. Those are my abracadabra words.
    Very powerful stuff. Like rubbing a bottle to summon a genie.
    Watch them work again
    KK
    migrant
    Black
    90,000
    80,000


  34. “William…people are noticing that these “hits” assassinations of Afrikan people were PLANNED AND COORDINATED TO COINCIDE with the AfriCaribbean conference…”

    I got out my truth meter (TheOmeter) and that registered a 0.

    But it could be that the meter needs recalibrating. Ya think so?


  35. “But it could be that the meter needs recalibrating. Ya think so?”

    you have to know the 100-year-old playbill….do you remember CATS……..the trend that never ended.


  36. McKinley ‘Mac’ Phipps Jr was convicted of murder despite no physical evidence linking him to the crime. Prosecutors used his rap lyrics

    Murder Murder
    M.A.C.

    Murda, Murda, Kill, Kill / Mac
    4x: mmm mmmmmm

    Soldier rag on my eye, soldier fit on my frame
    I scream, “whoa” when I come through makin that mac-11 sang
    If I’m dyin bad, don’t tell my folks, I wasn’t no joke when I blasted
    Wrap me up in camoflauge, and put that tank on my casket
    That nigga was hip hop, that nigga was gangsta
    That nigga was tall, that nigga was slim
    That nigga was shell shocked, you wouldn’t want fuck with him
    I hung with killas, I hung with soldiers, I hung with gs
    I hung with thugs, I hung with them niggas who probably wanted to murder
    Me
    Fuckas, I cross my heart and pull the trigger
    Dear God if I die, let me see the eyes of my killa, so I can haunt that
    Nigga
    Poppa shot me through the rubber
    He knew that I would be a young bad muthafucka
    When i

    Kill, kill (kill, kill)
    Shit’s real (shit’s real)
    On the battlefield (on the battlefield)

    I said I’m sick and tired of tellin you niggas I’m not that nigga to
    Play with
    They thinkin that they can tell me whatever they want and I ain’t gon
    Say shit
    I guess I’m supposed to be lettin you call me bitches and hoes to my
    Face
    Just look at ya, let ya fuck over me, ignore ya, then go by my way
    Cut it out, stop that, unless ya got that feelin
    However, wherever, whenever ya ready, I’m that nigga
    You said, “fuck no limit” then the next thing you heard was (*@$#%)
    “ow!”
    That was me whippin the fuck out that bitch in the ? waffle house?
    Look at you now, I’m warnin you nigga wherever you fuck up right there
    I’m shuttin you down, I’m tellin you if we don’t know you don’t come
    Round that tank
    Or no limit gon clown, I fuck over yo ass balls as big as godzilla
    Here lizard, lizard, lizard, I’m comin to get ya
    When I catch ya, you can betcha, blood gon spill
    Murder, murder, murder, kill, kill, kill

    Kill, kill (kill, kill)
    Shit’s real (shit’s real)
    On the battlefield (on the battlefield)

    Kill, kill (kill, kill)
    Shit’s real (shit’s real)
    On the battlefield (on the battlefield)

    I was born a soldier, mama will tell ya I never was fake, I was real
    I’m camouflaged and never die, it been that way since I was l’il
    Murder, murder, murder, murder, kill, kill, it’s real
    You cross me wrong, don’t think I forgot ya, just waitin on you to chill
    You started beef with the assassin, when you see me you gotta be blastin
    Ain’t no love for the other side, cause I get all up in the ass and
    Operation uptown, ghetto niggas shell shocked
    Camoflauged down, soldier rebound, straight off the block
    What?


  37. de pedantic Dribble September 7, 2022 9:26 AM #: “Why this impractical palaver!”

    @ dpD

    I was going to comment, but subsequently changed my mind. But, since you addressed the issue, I decided to ‘say something.’

    Although understand the point Critical Analyzer is trying to make, he can’t, in all seriousness suggest trials for those cases, as he outlined, should begin “within 2-4 weeks after charges are brought by the police.”

    But, bear in mind, investigations do ‘automatically come to an end’ when a suspect is arrested and charged for committing a crime.

    A guy is charged for shooting someone, but, at the time of his arrest, police cannot locate the firearm.

    Sometimes the period of investigating some crimes go beyond 4 weeks after the suspect has been arrested, which may included gathering further evidence, looking for an accomplice in the crime or witnesses, awaiting forensic reports from the lab, autopsy report etc.

    The process is not as simple as what is depicted in ‘CSI Miami’ or ‘Law & Order: Criminal Intent.’


  38. Pacha…so who is surprised that the SUGARCANE SLAVERY bondage was recently being tested via SCUM traitor politicians…..to see if the Afrikan population is STILL ACCEPTING…

    “The Sugar Agreement between Barbados and Tate & Lyle UK is – in my opinion – more political than anything else and once again we have the Old Boys Club being supported.
    Tate & Lyle has held a Royal Warrant from Queen Elizabeth II since 1955.
    The Tate family own a home in Barbados. The relationship is over 100 years old.”


  39. When Barbados was a royal colony, we had safe streets and places. The problem started in 1966 and with the relapse into the savage behaviour of times past.

    Look at the crime trends in Jamaica and Singapore. Before independence, each had a medium-high murder rate, then sharply declining in Singapore and world-record highs in Jamaica.

    It’s as clear as day to anyone who doesn’t smoke WOKE weed all the time that cultural differences are responsible.

    Our Supreme Leader should finally declare martial law, suspend constitutional rights and crack down on gangs, the judiciary and the police!


  40. @David September 7, 2022 6:59 AM

    Not having a valid address for the person does not matter. I can give a valid address now and go in hiding. That is what the bail surety and marshals are for. The judge and defense attorney would deal with the other breach of rights. Look at the man that recently got money out the government for his murder case.

    Let me put it more simply. We need speedy trials. The BPS should not be charging anyone with a crime until they have gathered enough evidence to proceed with the Trial hence all trials should be started within a month after the person was charged.


    • @CA

      It may not matter to you but in matters of court trials the accuracy of evidence and information regarding the the case is paramount.

      The bigger issue is it exposes the integrity of the process.


  41. I thought by now the BU “schooled” intelligentsia would be asking…..the next logical question…

    WHAT OTHER WARRANTS from the 1800s ARE STILL IN FORCE…

    but ah guess nuhbody int intristed…

    if was sumbody bedroom, business they would be all over it..


  42. @ Artax
    You are correct.
    However, a lot of this tardiness in the judicial process has to do with bad planning.
    Evidence collection is almost always a very detailed and lengthy process.
    We never plan for the future. As the society grew, it would have been obvious that crime would increase. We have a larger population but we kept the same process and approach to judicial management.
    It was obvious that the system would become clogged.
    It’s the same with the roads. We kept the same approach to traffic management that we had when there was horse and buggy on the streets , outside of the ABC highway , we are very poor with traffic management.
    When we sit calmly and connect the dots, the truth becomes obvious- we just don’t plan ahead and that’s why the speed of doing business is also at turtle pace.
    Needless to say the same approach has been used in the management of education.
    We built a new airport and did not make provision for the passengers to walk from the plane into the airport although air traffic was increasing because of tourism and other factors.
    Everything is now becoming clogged in one way or another. And if we look beyond our narrow political biases, we would realise the country needs more enlightened leadership in all sectors including the parasitical private sector.
    We can do better but we prefer to comfort ourselves with rose colored glasses. Time to take them off.
    Peace.


  43. @David September 7, 2022 11:24 AM

    If the police prosecutor don’t have the accuracy of evidence to immediately start a trial, don’t bring the charge in the first place.

    They want to rush and charge people while they still gathering evidence. That is violating people rights and miscarriage of justice.


  44. sounds like the dude who got promoted to some position in parliament recently after the Koochie Koo brouhaha…


  45. “Can somebody tell Gregory Nicholls to take Barbados Underground out of his mouth?”

    Gregory Nicholls take Barbados Underground out of your mouth! (bitch)

    The Drums Pound The Earth


  46. Our honourable government addressed the problem of murderers on the rampage two years ago. The judiciary, however, sabotages any attempt to curb crime by rejecting and simply not applying various laws.

    In other words, the most honourable Lord Marshal Dale got everything right, the arrogant judiciary got everything wrong. Obviously, our honourable government and the judiciary are on different sides of the law when it comes to crime.

    The families of the deceased should sue Judge Shona Griffith for punitive damages at the International Court of Human Rights or in the USA. There must be no judicial privilege for people who pervert their own profession.


  47. Somalia is already feeling A FULL FRONTAL FAMINE……they always wait until babies are dying by the THOUSANDS to call a famine and starvation what it really is….

    Pacha…..the Sahel is very vulnerable due to lack of rainfall…..Somalia suffered 5 straight years of drought a recipe for death….dependency on the west for grain does not help…

    even worse, if they don’t start planting food in any available receptacle…..and continue to depend on supermarkets, while still depending on tourism and the shithole system……….well, maybe they have no plan to survive this…all on them….


  48. @ David re G N

    Barbados Underground allows everyone the opportunity to express their opinions.

    A lot of “problems” are ventilated here.

    Some of us in the Diaspora appreciate BU.


  49. A LOT OF BIAS IS ALSO SHOWN TOO HANTS

    IF YOU ARE AN APPROVED PROVIDER YOUR POSTS DONT GET TEK DUNG

    A LOT OF FOLK WHO WILL APPROXIMATE THEIR LABIAE ORAE TO THE ADIPOSE TISSUE THAT OVERLAYS THE BLOG OWNERS GLUTEI ALSO COME HERE TOO HANTS .

    NOTE HOW ACCURATELY AND CAREFULLY I ARTICULATE

    Barbados Underground allows everyone the opportunity to express their opinions. IF THEY COINCIDE WITH THE PREVAILING NARRATIVE ON BU

    APPROVED PROVIDERS CAN ATTEMPT TO MOCK BUT YUH CAN NOT PROVIDE BALANCE ON BU

    FREE SPEECH HAS NOT YET BEEN DISALOWED YET IN BARBADOS EXCEPT ON BU

    RE A lot of “problems” are ventilated here. AND ALSO A LOT OF RUBBISH ONCE THEY COINCIDE WITH THE PREVAILING NARRATIVE ON BU

    THERE ARE AT LEAST TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY


  50. THIS IS VERY GOOD NEWS TO ESCHATOLOGISTS
    ALL THIS HAS BEEN PREDICTED IN THAT BOOK OF FABLES THAT IS SCORNED AND LAUGHED AT BY BU MORONS
    ALL THE PREDICTIONS ARE COMING TO PAST
    SEEMS THE CHICKENS ARE COMING HOME TO ROOST
    AINT THAT SWEET?


  51. Critical Analyzer September 7, 2022 11:48 AM

    Perhaps you should follow my example, by not engaging in discussions of which you’re unknowledgeable.


  52. @Artax

    I may not be knowledgeable but one thing I know is how bad the public feels seeing people they know are guilty of a crime walking about on the streets for years on end waiting for a trial.

    Our justice system is not going to be a deterrent until we have a situation where the justice system is so speedy that the public is stunned at how fast they get convicted or released after the charge is laid instead of us having to search news archives to remember the details of the crime when the trial finally starts.

    I bet the trial for the Sheraton Center killing has not started yet and that is a slam dunk case.


  53. @Artax

    Speedy court trials followed by immediate incarceration has always been the only solution for the crime situation.

    The men on bail for murder crimes already expecting to get convicted when the case is finally called so they have nothing to lose if they continue killing during the time it takes to start their trial.


  54. @ CA
    Speedy court trials followed by immediate incarceration has always been the only solution for the crime situation.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Basic common sense.
    …but where do we get THAT from Boss?

    @ David
    “Hanging not the answer”…
    ..say two typical Bajan lawyers who have demonstrated that they don’t know one shiite about PRODUCING SUCCESSFUL OUTCOMES.

    One exposed for bribing potential voters with borrowed money (because everybody else does it…)
    …and the next one a complete failure as BAR association president in changing ANY of the shiite known to be endemic there…. and now championing the rights of criminals.
    In terms of giving advice to solve NATIONAL failures, those two are even worse than Petra Wicky (who at least may benefit from the guidance of his Frenchie husband)

    Here we have key beneficiaries of the crime business being invited on Brass Tacks to give us advice on how to respond to REDUCE their livelihood.
    Did you think that they would support ‘hanging’, …or serious bail conditions?

    Of a similar ilk are those Judges who are blaming police about shiite matters like checking addresses or facilitating phone calls . Those are ADMINISTRATIVE matters to be dealt with quietly during trials with consequences to the police officers responsible. NOT matters to talk shiite in the press about.
    What the Judges SHOULD be talking publicly about is how they allow the damn lawyers to make mock sport with ridiculous delays and petty distractions to delay justice…. and them claim that the undue delays prejudiced their crooked clients.

    What a set of BB losers…!


    • @Bush Tea

      Actually one of the lawyers is also a commissioner on the Constitutional Review Commission.

      Regarding the incorrect address on court filings, you are the only that picked up the sarcasm.


  55. Hants….looks like he became very considerate and saved the taxpayers a bundle..

    https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/7/10-people-killed-in-canadian-stabbing-rampage-identified

    “Canada stabbing spree suspect reportedly dies in custody
    Myles Sanderson reportedly died from self-inflicted wounds after he was taken into custody for the deaths of 10 people in Saskatchewan stabbing spree.”


  56. any bets on if island atoll leaders on islets see the WRITING ON THE WALL YET…..don’t know how they can miss them…

    fat lady sung out..

    Pacha,……watch muh nuh….

    “Hamilton – The Bermuda government said it will push on with its flagship legislation to legalise the use and consumption of cannabis in this British overseas territory after Governor Rena Lalgie announced on Tuesday that she had been instructed by London not to give it the royal assent.”


  57. Critical Analyzer September 7, 2022 6:46 PM #: “Speedy court trials followed by immediate incarceration has always been the only solution for the crime situation.”

    Critical Analyzer

    Please INDICATE WHERE in any of my contributions I MENTIONED ANYTHING that would SUGGEST OTHERWISE?


  58. When system fail completely, there is often the cry to ‘try something’.

    For us, this something is hanging. I am doubtful if hanging would be enough of a deterrent to stop these shooters. We may have to up our game and try…. the guillotine. The kind use to cut paper.

    I am certain that one of those who wish for hangings will volunteer to be the executioner.


  59. No mass exodus of cops!

    Police Service ‘still unable to recruit desired numbers’
    by MARIA BRADSHAW mariabradshaw@nationnews.com
    WHILE JUST ABOUT 30 police officers leave the Barbados Police Service annually, the president of the Police Association says there is no mass exodus of cops.
    However, Detective Constable, Mervin Grace, told the DAILY NATION that the Police Service was still unable to recruit the desired 300 officers it needed in order for the force to be at its optimum number.
    Responding to the circulation of text messages which suggested that police officers were frustrated and a high number was planning to leave, Grace said: “We know that every year we have an exodus of people leaving – people would leave the organisation. But for someone to go and exaggerate, is like trying to say we in shambles and we are not in shambles yet.”
    He noted: “Some leave to go and take up employment other places, some leave to go and study, some leave just for the sake of leaving because they are fed up with the conditions
    of the organisation.
    “I can almost say we probably lose about 30 persons each year but I know this year will be a little more than that. We do have a lot of people that left already and we know there are some more that are planning to go and we know a lot of them are retirees. You can’t stop retires and you can’t stop people from getting ill.”
    Grace, a forensics expert, said this was the reason why the police service had two recruitment courses each year but he revealed that the recruitment level remained low.
    “That would normally help, however, we are not getting the numbers we require to fill those vacancies at this time, so if you are short of 300 people and we get 30 you are still at square one. Our shortage is in excess of 300 persons so right now each police officer is doing the work of at least three officers because the work still has to be done.”
    He confirmed that recently the Police Association met with Attorney General Dale Marshall and Commissioner of Police, Richard Boyce and he said one of the issues discussed was the state of some of the police stations.
    Still renovations to be done
    “The condition at some stations that is still a sore point within the organisation. We are not 100 per cent happy with all the plants right now but we are working on them slowly but surely. We are getting some traction with them as you would recognise we had some renovations at District B. The Attorney General also mentioned that plant but as I told him a visit we had there showed that there was work that still needed to be done.
    “You have some termite infestations at some of the stations and we are looking into those things at present. We had discussions at our executive level yesterday and our chairman of building committees is already on top of it.”
    In terms of reports that some police officers were awaiting outstanding allowances since 2011, Grace said he was not sure about that time period but indicated that the matter of outstanding payments had been brought to the attention of the Commissioner.
    “That is being looked at by the administration. It speaks to allowances not being paid to some persons and that is something the Commissioner is looking into to rectify,” Grace said.

    Source: Nation


    • No to hangings
      Article by
      Barbados Today
      Published on
      September 8, 2022

      https://barbadostoday.bb/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Andrew-Pilgrim-copy-730×456.jpg

      A resumption of hangings is not the right response to the recent spike in murders in Barbados, two prominent lawyers declared on Wednesday.

      Past president of the Barbados Bar Association Andrew Pilgrim, Q.C. and fellow attorney-at-law Senator Gregory Nicholls rejected the idea of capital punishment as a deterrent while discussing constitutional reform on VOB’s Down to Brasstacks call-in programme.

      There have been no state executions in Barbados in almost four decades, and the death penalty was removed as automatic punishment for murder in 2019, a year after the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruled that the mandatory death sentence was unconstitutional. However, High Court judges still have the discretion to impose that sentence for the capital offence.

      Responding to a caller who raised the issue in light of gun killings in recent weeks, Pilgrim categorically rejected the idea that the courts should go that route, saying that such a move would be abhorrent.

      “The idea of a state premeditatedly killing people is something that I abhor and that is because I believe in life, I don’t believe in death. I don’t believe in killing people deliberately by the way of planning, and there is nothing that can be more corrupt than a state planning to kill its own citizenry,” the Queen’s Counsel said.

      “I am very wary of these types of things because in every system [globally] where people are killed regularly as a result of prosecution, it’s the poorest people in society who are killed…. Worldwide, that demographic is true. People who can afford good lawyers do not get the death penalty, people who can wield certain levels of power don’t get the death penalty. People who are enemies of the state get the death penalty, people who are poor get the death penalty.”

      Also expressing his disagreement with any return to capital punishment, Nicholls pointed out that there have been cases where after a person is executed by the state new evidence comes to light that has cleared those individuals of wrongdoing.

      “We get it wrong sometimes. The court system will not always get it right and we have seen time and time again people exonerated long after they have been executed by the state. Evidence turns up, a witness was telling lies and these things happen…. How then can you repay a life that the state took away in those circumstances?” he contended.

      “I feel that when somebody kills somebody they should go to prison for a long time, not 12 years for manslaughter as the guidelines would tell you.”

      Against the background of concern about people charged with murder and other violent crimes being granted bail by the courts, Pilgrim also addressed allegations that lawyers were often to blame for repeated adjournments in cases.

      He said nothing could be further from the truth and lamented that the wheels of justice were still moving far too slowly in getting defendants to trial.

      “Lawyers cannot be [at] fault if cases are being adjourned for years and years. I am not saying that a lawyer can’t get two and three adjournments but a lawyer cannot get five years’ worth of adjournments,” Pilgrim insisted.

      “So that when you find a case in which a person is on bail for murder – in other words, I sit in prison for three years waiting on my trial for murder, three years later I get bail – what would be the priority of the DPP’s [Director of Public Prosecution’s] Office… not to get me tried?” he questioned.

      shamarblunt@barbadostoday.bb

      Source: Barbados Today


  60. Too busy setting up the Afrikan population for oppression, poverty and disenfranchisement over decades while bending their traitor asses in half to promote, support and glorify Drs. Drugs, Guns, Money Laundering, Racist Wannabe Slave masters within their inner circle groups of frauds and crooks……dah iz wuh haunting dem now..

    “One economist is blaming the former Freundel Stuart and current Mia Mottley administrations for the crisis facing the island’s pension scheme, chiding them for not carrying out needed reforms and hence contributing to the impairment of the fund.

    Barbados-born economist Carlos Forte, who is based in Canada, said the NIS board did not set social security policy and therefore any attempt by anyone to blame the former or current NIS boards for the “pending pension crisis” was nothing but “a smoke screen and a diversion”.”


  61. ““Hamilton – The Bermuda government said it will push on with its flagship legislation to legalise the use and consumption of cannabis in this British overseas territory after Governor Rena Lalgie announced on Tuesday that she had been instructed by London not to give it the royal assent.””

    not a peep from those who “pretend ignorance.”

    Pacha….and the one thing i will not do is enlighten anyone about what will come next going forward or at any time, am sure they already know….none of it seem nearly as important to them as other people’s private lives…they seem detached and UNBOTHERED…

    ..they don’t want to know what other ROYAL WARRANTS are out there, although it concerns them their families and FUTURE GENERATIONS….am sure they are equally uninterested in the marking out of OWNED TERRITORY…….

    .wuh if i had territory i would have upgraded that blueprint at least 25 YEARS AGO…..but that’s just me..

    …their welfare, wellbeing, security and quality of life are CLEARLY NOT IMPORTANT TO THEM….not at the level needed to come out and address it….but they ALWAYS GOT TALK FOR US…


  62. “No to hangings”
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Even if true, coming from someone who makes his money BECAUSE of the high rate of crime, it cannot resonate with stinking Bushie.
    Bushie may be a Bajan brass bowl, …but he is NOT a shiite.

    If we start being REALLY tough on these shiite criminals, and have LAW ABIDING citizens set the tone for what we will accept in our society, then what the Hell will Pilgrim, Lashley and the other bottom dwelling lawyers do for living? …. join the ‘Client fee’ class of extortionists? that field is over subscribed….

    Taking advice from Pilgrim on ‘managing crime’ is much like taking advice from TheO or Dribbles on how to deal with albino-centric brassbowlery that has confounded our world.
    ….or from Pfizer on the benefits of taking Covid ‘vaccines’.


  63. “and the one thing i will not do is enlighten anyone about what will come next going forward or at any time,”

    read twice for clarity and understanding…….

    and especially NOT TO YOU or for you to benefit in any way..

  64. 🌍 Magnificent a.k.a Magno – Yu Heard Formula: C₂₁H₃₀O₂ IUPAC ID: (−)-(6aR,10aR)-6,6,9-trimethyl- 3-pentyl-6a,7,8,10a-tetrahydro- 6H-benzo[c]chromen-1-ol [[[ONE LOVE ONE WORLD ♡ ♥💕❤😘 🌍]]] on said:

    I will enlighten all
    with knowledge wisdom understanding
    message in the music
    Every type of Gun is a Big Bad One
    Big Bad Guns

    Black Jesus


  65. @ David September 8, 2022 5:38 AM

    Enemies of the people like Pilgrim are responsible for the high crime rate on our island, not our honorable government.

    Our Supreme Leader is called upon to finally clean up the legal profession and take various elements into protective custody!

    p.s. Pilgrim and others constantly and implicitly invoke a supposed privilege that murders are part of the cultural DNA of the Caribbean. In doing so, he promotes racism against black men like himself.


  66. It takes a village to fight crime

    By Tony Best

    It’s not simply a job for the police in Barbados but it’s “a whole society challenge”.
    That’s what a key Caribbean scholar and leading security expert in North America believes Barbados is facing as the world’s newest republic grapples for the first time in decades with a deadly upsurge in violent and criminal behaviour that has resulted in the deaths of at least 25 victims who were gunned down so far this year. In a recent seven-day period, five Bajans were shot to death.
    Dr Ivelaw Griffith, author of several books and scholarly papers on criminality across the Caribbean, warned Barbados against expecting its police department to solve the problem alone or overnight.
    “Prepare for the long-haul in Barbados,” Griffith told the Weekend Nation
    during a conversation from his Long Island New York suburban home.
    Stark reality
    “The Caribbean for a while now has been facing the stark reality of crime and violence, significant to which has been the use of weapons, [guns]” most of them made in the United States, said Professor Griffith, a former vice chancellor of the University of Guyana who at one-time served as president of Fort Valley State University in Georgia.
    “The use of weapons and the incidence of crime and violence are not amendable to quick fixes. It is also important to say at the get-go that not only the police or the police by itself can be involved. This is what I would call a whole society challenge.”
    “It is a challenge that can be traced directly
    to the home, including the schools.
    Barbados has a strong religious community which needs to get [even more] involved.”
    As he saw it, the church shouldn’t simply be concerned about the “after-life”. It must consider getting involved, for instance, in a gun “buy-back” campaign that would get more guns off the streets and it should extend the teaching and preaching about the value of respect for human life, he said.
    According to Griffith, a Guyanese with Bajan roots, if “Bajans see something” they should “say something” to law enforcement in a confidential manner.
    That national strategy was widely employed in the US, encouraging Americans to step forward with information, and it has worked, he said. “This is not a matter that only the police can solve,” he warned.
    Griffith, who is also a former senior academician and administrator at Florida International University and Bradford University in Virginia and a former senior vice president and provost at York College of the City University of New York, recommended other anti-gun strategies, including closer collaboration between Barbados and the US.
    “The level of collaboration between Barbados and the US must be stepped up.
    After all, the US is a significant source of the guns,” Griffith said.
    Another “strategy” was greater “involvement of the family” in the campaign to take illegal guns and ammunition out of the hands of young people and others who shouldn’t have them in the first place.
    “Families have got to instil the values of the home by disciplining their children, getting them to take responsibility for their actions. It is often said that it takes a village to raise a child. Now it takes a village to maintain and establish a violence-free [neighbourhood]. Communities have to be involved on a collective basis, not just looking to the police to solve the problem. Families have to be intimately involved in this,” he said.
    Another measure was “community policing,” a long-standing scientific strategy used by police departments in North America to link communities with cops in a mutual and beneficial effort.
    “I don’t know that Barbados has been consistent in the practice of community police,” Griffith said. It has been used successfully in the US and in Jamaica. The problem is that in the case of Jamaica it has not been sustained. It needs to be employed with consistency.”
    The Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police was a major proponent of community policing but securing funding for it “was always a challenge”.
    “Caribbean Governments just didn’t have the money to finance it adequately. Businesses often [helped] to foot the bill. The fact is that community policing has not been tried consistently in Barbados,” Griffith said. “Now is the time for the country to take a (another) look at it. Community policing and ‘buy back’ gun campaigns go hand in hand,” he said.
    He added that closely monitoring the ports of entry should be high on the agenda.
    “Rising crime has a cost
    to it and the private sector of Barbados, like those of other countries, has a vested interest in creating opportunities that minimise costs to them by curbing crime and violence,” argued Griffith, who is writing another book on Caribbean security and challenges.

    Source: Nation


  67. regurgitating a whole pile of bullshit…..

    when they pick up the CRIMINALS THEY ENABLE AND PROTECT….THE IMPORTERS OF CONTAINERS OF DRUGS AND GUNS…which has NOTHING to do with the home……..then the violence will STOP…

    when they STOP DISENFRANCHISING YOUNG BLACK PEOPLE from the DAY THEY ARE BORN……the poverty will end..

    WHEN THEY STOP TIEFING FROM THE TREASURY, VAT AND PENSION FUND……the island will suffer less from socio economic external and internal shocks…

    put the blame where it belongs…

  68. 🌍 Magnificent a.k.a Magno – Yu Heard Formula: C₂₁H₃₀O₂ IUPAC ID: (−)-(6aR,10aR)-6,6,9-trimethyl- 3-pentyl-6a,7,8,10a-tetrahydro- 6H-benzo[c]chromen-1-ol [[[ONE LOVE ONE WORLD ♡ ♥ 💕 ❤ 😘 🌍]]] on said:

    Da Africa Deep & Dj Kid – Who Are You


  69. There are unconfirmed media reports that police intercepted an attempted drug landing on Thursday off the west coast of Barbados.

    Starcom Network reported that police were seeking suspects after a boat was intercepted off Barbados by the police marine unit and drug squad.

    Gunfire was exchanged between the police and the suspects following a chase, which ended when the boat landed on the beach in Weston, St James, according to the radio report.

    A video rapidly of the operation has made the rounds on social media showing a large number of police vehicles arriving on the scene.


  70. PM taking aim at gun crime
    Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has announced changes to gun laws, as she says “Barbados is too small to entertain” the level of crime and violence occurring in recent times.
    Speaking at a media conference at Ilaro Court yesterday, Mottley said she was “happy that this week seems to have quietened down” and that, as Attorney General Dale Marshall said recently, the problem would not be solved overnight or by Government alone but through a whole nation approach.
    The Prime Minister said the country has “a number of things that we have to confront” and just as Government, the police, and law courts have their role, so too did families and communities.
    “We cannot divorce ourselves from what is happening globally either. We have a problem with the level of guns that have been made available regrettably in the last decade or two and that has included and extended to automatic
    weapons,” she said, adding they were being used “when people want to resolve conflict” thus resulting in serious injury or loss of life.
    “I therefore want to be able to speak to Bajans now directly, and to families, and to communities, because it is us who will take care of one another. And if we don’t speak to those who want to risk our lives by gun play, or by keeping guns, then we’re going to find that the people who they love and we love are going to be the biggest victims of all,” said Mottley.
    Funding
    She further said the “system” had suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic and without jury trials “for the better part of two years” there was a buildup of cases again despite the appointment of five additional judges and posts within the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to help clear the backlog.
    The Prime Minister said Government would not only continue to provide funding to the police but was “prepared to entertain an increase in the numbers because there are a number of vacancies still” and
    “if necessary, to even increase some temporary judges to remove this backlog especially given the damage COVID put in it again through no fault of anyone’s”.
    She cautioned however, that doing those things would still “not be enough because what we’re dealing with is a value system that has changed and accessibility to weapons that regrettably are being too readily available throughout the world and particularly throughout the Americas”.
    Mottley also said there will be a change to the Firearms Act.
    “There is an amendment that will come, that will correct the section of the Firearms Act that struck down the mandatory sentencing. And that amendment pretty much, we believe, can follow that which is being done in the United Kingdom, in Turks and Caicos, and in other countries where the sentence of imprisonment for possession of guns will be mandatory unless there are exceptional circumstances that the judge is satisfied that can be there. That amendment must come to the House now and the AG will bring that shortly.” ( GBM)

    Source: Nation


  71. COP’S PHONE CALL
    Lawmen want access to devices to help crack cases
    Police want to gain access to information on people’s phones and other devices to help them crack crime.
    They are therefore agitating for a change in laws that could mean service providers must hand over recordings, visual and other evidence.
    They are also still pushing to fill hundreds of vacant spots in key departments of the Barbados Police Service (BPS) including the Criminal Investigation Division.
    Divisional Commander of the CID Acting Superintendent Mark White said they believed pushing for those changes could help make the service more efficient.
    “Contemporary legal issues confronting law enforcement agencies have forced us to look outside mere confessions by accused persons and find other supporting evidence such as forensic and digital, audio and visual data to strengthen our cases and secure conviction.
    “Almost every crime has a cybercomponent and to this, we have to agitate for legislative changes to make service providers provide the information to the police to assist in the investigations,” White said.
    He made those comments
    yesterday at the Regional Police Training Centre, Christ Church, during the closing ceremony of the Court Prosecutors Course and the Enhanced Development Course.
    In a follow-up interview with reporters, White said he would not seek to predict what the response to such a change would be, but said he was hopeful the relevant stakeholders would come on board.
    “I am not sure what the response would be, but we have to look and see what the responses will be, because we know people don’t like change and they resist it. However, we are trusting that they will come on board and assist in getting that vital forensic evidence that we need to prosecute cases successfully,” he said.
    During his address, he said the BPS was short by 300 and although his division comprised of 170, he said they were also under pressure.
    “There is a small cadre of officers that deal with the number of crimes and it’s been taking a toll on them. They have been going beyond the call of duty and putting in a really big effort and I am looking to address some of the staffing needs to see if we can get more to come and join the division,” White said.
    He also acknowledged that they might have to look at increasing salaries to attract young talent. “Because of attrition,
    retirement we have been struggling to deal with the shortfall, but this is a whole different generation, the crime climate is different and that is a big deterrent to people wanting to join our ranks.
    “When you talk to people about joining the service the first thing they ask you is ‘how much you’re paying’, and when you look at remunerations, they say ‘not for the risk’, so we have been trying to see how we can promote the service and to attract the numbers right now. That is a policy decision and I think right now there is a proposal for increased allowances in the service so we are hoping we get some favourable responses,” he added. (TG)


    Source: Nation


  72. Gov’t revisiting mandatory jail for gun offences

    Article by Anesta Henry
    Published on
    September 10, 2022

    Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has called on families and communities to play a greater role in helping law enforcement officials to fight crime, as she announced plans to amend the Firearms Act to restore mandatory imprisonment for persons found with illegal guns.

    As the recent spate of gun violence and murders spark public outrage throughout the country, PM Mottley at press conference on Friday underscored a national approach is needed to arrest the problem.

    “This is not about Government alone, cannot be, has never been, but Government has an essential role to play with the provision of policies and legislation for law enforcement. There is an amendment that will come that will correct the section of the Firearms Act that struck down the mandatory sentencing.

    “That amendment pretty much we believe, can follow that which is being done in the United Kingdom, in Turks and Caicos and in other countries, where the sentence and imprisonment for possession of guns would be mandatory unless there are exceptional circumstances that the judge is satisfied can be there,” Mottley said. She added that Attorney General Dale Marshall will present the amendment to Parliament shortly.

    Stressing that Barbadians must treat the issue of violence as one people and one nation, Prime Minister Mottley said the country cannot divorce itself from what has been happening internationally with the level of guns, including automatic weapons, being made available regrettably in the last two decades.

    She said that while the police has been doing a good job to restrict the number of firearms coming into the island, with the assistance of scanners and improved security systems at the ports of entry, the reality is that guns are in the communities.

    “I therefore now want to speak to Bajans directly and to families and to communities because it is us who will take care of one another. And if we don’t speak to those who want to risk our lives by gunplay, or by keeping guns, then we are going to find that the people who they love and we love are going to be the biggest victims of all,” she said.

    Pointing out that the judicial system has suffered for two years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mottley said there has been a buildup of cases, in addition to a situation “where judges totally following the law will tell you that you can’t keep a person in custody for beyond x-amount of time without it being a breach of their rights”.

    “In addition to that, I can’t help but reflect on this and I got the data from the Attorney General only this week again – we have a list of murder cases that quite frankly, 80 per cent of them that are now to be heard before the courts still pre-date this Government coming into office.

    “And that is in spite of the fact that we have created another five judges and that we have also created additional posts for the DPP [Director of Public Prosecution]. As I said, I get it because obviously during COVID you know what was shut down, you know what couldn’t happen and therefore that has retarded things a bit,” she said.

    According to the records, 80 per cent of the gun cases before the law courts were there before the current administration came to office, Mottley explained, adding that she was not making an excuse for the current situation.

    “Bottom line is, if you are encouraging persons by letting them believe that it is okay to get away, then we have a problem. And that’s why I say that this has to be a whole of nation approach. By the same token, the Government will continue, as has happened, to provide the funding to the police.

    “I have indicated to the police at the last security council meeting, but I did it publicly when the Cabinet was sworn in in January, that we are prepared to entertain an increase in the numbers because there are still a number of vacancies,” Mottley said.

    She added: “We are prepared, I told the AG again if necessary, to even increase some temporary judges to remove this backlog, especially given the damage that COVID put in it again through to no fault of anyone. But if we can do those things, that still will not be enough because what we are dealing with is a value system that has changed and accessibility to weapons that regrettably are being too readily available throughout the world and particularly throughout the Americas”.

    anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb


    Source: Barbados Today


  73. Call was offered by police
    I WISH TO PROVIDE some perspective from the Barbados Police Service with regard to a recent news article (Cops Told Get The Basics Right) that appeared in your MIDWEEK NATION newspaper on Page 3 of the September 7, 2022 edition.
    The author referenced comments made by Magistrate Kim Butcher as chastising lawmen for failing to give an accused his constitutionally due telephone call while in custody.
    Reference was also made to further admonishment of police by Chief Magistrate Ian Weekes “to not only allow accused those phone calls but also verify the addresses of people in their custody”.
    The Barbados Police Service totally agrees with the requirements of the law as stated by both judicial officers and as a matter of concern did an internal investigation into the mentioned matters.
    Our investigations revealed that the accused in the mentioned news article was in fact notified of his rights as a prisoner and was indeed offered the opportunity for telephone calls, which he refused.
    Evidence of this was officially recorded in the Station Daily Diary.
    The Barbados Police Service is an accredited police service and proud to be the first in the Caribbean and South America; with such status, there is the requirement to satisfy several international law enforcement standards and best practices.
    One of these standards is the requirement to have a Notice to Prisoners. This Notice MUST be displayed in all police stations in the plain view and attention of all persons coming into the custody of the police.
    It speaks to communication with barrister, solicitor or friend and also refreshments – supply of meals and inspection of meals.
    Another such Notice to Prisoners speaks to access to medical attention. The Barbados Police Service seeks to comply with all standards of professional policing and in doing so treat all persons with the highest level of dignity, respect and service.
    – INSPECTOR RODNEY INNISS (AG.), communications and public affairs officer, Barbados Police Service

    Source: Nation


  74. https://barbadostoday.bb/2022/10/04/complainant-declines-to-pursue-case/

    From BT
    “Two men had serious charges against them dismissed today after the complainant, who now resides overseas, indicated he was no longer interested in continuing the matter.

    Madame Justice Laurie-Ann Smith-Bovell dismissed the matters against Jacobi Germain and Leon Lawrence when they reappeared in the No. 4 Supreme Court.

    Germain of 8th Avenue, New Orleans, St Michael and Lawrence of Cane Vale, Christ Church had been charged with causing serious bodily harm to Anderson Trotman with intent to do him serious bodily harm or to maim, disfigure, or disable him on February 29, 2016.

    They were also charged with unlawfully and maliciously inflicting serious bodily harm on Trotman on the same date. The complainant had been summoned to attend court today but was not present.”

    I will resist giving you adetaile analysis, but it seems to me as if the victim said..” I am alive. I am out of there. Going to keep it that way”


  75. Was this fake new?
    Did you hear the story of the guy who escaped with his life as he fled from a man with a Glock and laser. who was attempting to hold him up? He called the police and was asked “so what are we supposed to do about it”

    A next couple got hijacked at the same spot by the same method. They tried to stop a police van a few minutes later after the hijacking and the police did not stop.

    The big joke is that much later we heard that the police was investigating and looking for information. I hope the criminals waited around to get caught by RoBPF.

    Police smart yeah.


  76. Why do some people highlight the negative?

    Are they blowing up the negative or merely reporting what is happening?

    I challenge you to report the positive.

The blogmaster dares you to join the discussion.