By Caribbean News Global contributor
BARBADOS / JAMAICA / ST LUCIA – The National Peace Program (NPP) will be rolling out several new initiatives, as it continues to provide necessary assistance to the Barbados community, says the minister of state in the office of the attorney-general with responsibility for crime prevention, Corey Lane; meantime in Jamaica Prime Minister, Dr Andrew Holness, says the security forces have made significant inroads in dismantling many gangs; and in Saint Lucia, the government aims to enhance tactical efficiency.
Barbados
As reported by Sharon Austin, GIS Barbados, an agreement has been signed to establish a sister-city relationship between the cities of New York, USA, and Bridgetown, Barbados. Minister Lane, signed the document at his office in Webster’s Business Park, Wildey, while it was simultaneously initialed in New York.
“The diaspora there in New York is very excited to give back [to Barbados]. We will be partnering with them in areas of education, technology, crime prevention, sharing data for progress and social development, [among other things]; and it is a very exciting prospect, and we don’t stop here […]. We will also be…working to activate other sister-city agreements that we have, like in Panama City, and also looking to do a number of others […]. So, we’ll be pressing ahead with all of these to make sure that we bring benefit to the people of Barbados,” the minister said.
Moving forward, there would be various exchanges between the two cities, and listed them as including youth, business people, business ideas, and ventures, the minister announced that the physical exchanges would begin in January 2025.
“So, it’s something that…I’m very, very excited about, and I’m sure that on the other side – New York, they are excited as well,” minister Lane said. “So, we’re [basically] exchanging ideas and negotiating, and we will also be doing some study tours. These study tours include…having some of our programme officers go and see some of these programmes in action, so that we can…tweak them to our cultural significance and relevance, to ensure that we bring the best for Barbados,” minister Lane stated.
Working assiduously to tackle crime, minister Lane announced: “One of the things we are working on right now is the release of our Livewise campaign…. Livewise … is really a series of initiatives to help bring awareness and education to the various populations that we are targeting, including parents, at-risk youth, teachers, parents, churches, and the media. So, we have a number of initiatives coming out really to sensitise, [and] to educate, in order to bring about behavioural change.”
When asked by the media about the violence in schools, minister Lane pointed out that a number of recommendations had been submitted to the ministry of education. The issue had been identified and a number of ministries were working to tackle the situation. […]
“What we are seeking to do, working in partnership with … is to not only identify [the issue] but to get these children into relevant interventions,” minister Lane explained.
“We started out with almost 600 gangs, and we have eroded them down to 150 active gangs, and we keep eroding them,” Prime Minister Holness, said was addressing journalists during his visit to Pleasant Heights, Rockfort, in Kingston, on Tuesday.
Rochelle Williams, JIS, reports, that there was a mass shooting at a football match in the community on National Heroes Day October 21, which resulted in the death of five persons. The prime minister said in the last eight years, the government has significantly increased the national security budget to enhance crime-fighting efforts.
“We have spent more money on national security than had been spent in the last 30 years, equipping the Force, bringing in technology, changing practices and procedures, improving leadership… in addition to investing in infrastructure, so we are making all the right steps in provisioning our security forces,” Prime Minister Holness said.
Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) and the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) “have started to restructure our operations to deal with this threat of organised, armed criminal violence,” the Prime Minister added; that use of the Anti-Gang legislation has also been instrumental in eroding gang activities.
However, the prime minister emphasised that citizens have an important role to play, “we are constantly eroding the gangs as much as we can, but we cannot wait until we have put together an entire case around a gang. Society needs to now ensure that the criminals are separated from the community, so that the police can deal with them effectively.”
Provisions under the Criminal Justice (Suppression of Criminal Organisations) (Amendment) Act, 2021, commonly called the Anti- Gang legislation, allow for the prosecution of groups engaged in criminal activities.
St Lucia relies on the Republic of Serbia ‘in strengthening national security’
On October 22, Prime Minister and Minister for National Security, Philip J. Pierre, formally presented three new pick-up trucks, procured by the government of the Republic of Serbia, to Commissioner of Police Verne Garde, who accepted them on behalf of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF).
“The handover marks another step in strengthening the operational capacity of the RSLPF,” the Office of the Prime Minister, (OPM) explained:
“Maintaining law and order remains a core priority for the government of Saint Lucia. Since July 2021, the RSLPF has received an unprecedented number of transportation assets from the government, aimed at enhancing tactical efficiency and improving response times to emergencies. The newly acquired vehicles will further support police patrols and bolster operations at local stations,” the OPM continued. The government of Saint Lucia will continue to equip the RSLPF with the necessary resources, tools, and training to ensure officers are well-prepared to meet the evolving challenges of law enforcement. This latest donation from the government of the Republic of Serbia reflects the ongoing importance of international partnerships in strengthening national security.”
The OPM advised that:” Prime Minister Pierre reaffirmed the government’s dedication to combating crime and ensuring the safety of communities across the country, emphasizing the critical role of the police force in maintaining peace and security for all residents and visitors, … which highlights the shared commitment to addressing security challenges through cooperation and mutual support,” extended gratitude to the government of the Republic of Serbia for the valuable contribution of three new pick-up trucks.
