Story by Emmanuel Joseph
In the wake
of a troubling rise in gun violence, Prime Minister Mia Mottley has announced
the immediate establishment of a National Advisory Council on Citizen Security.
Among the
matters the Professor Velma Newton-chaired council will advise on are anti-gang
legislation and a gun amnesty.
The creation
of the council, which will be tasked with providing a comprehensive approach to
combatting crime and restoring stability, follows a mass shooting last Friday
in Nelson Street, The City, in which three men were killed and eight others
wounded by masked assailants. Two children were also shot in separate
incidents.
Flanked by
senior Cabinet ministers, including Attorney General Dale Marshall, Mottley
described the recent shootings as a shocking spate of terrorist acts directed
at vulnerable citizens, and questioned what would motivate assailants to act
with such recklessness.
She praised
the young man who was the target of the gunmen in the bar for turning himself
into police.
Warning
criminals that they cannot evade justice, she referenced a case where a suspect
fled to Canada but ended up in the arms of Canadian authorities to be deported
back to Barbados.
The prime
minister revealed that the National Security Council, which she chairs,
convened specially on Sunday and Tuesday to address the crime issue.
"I want
to announce... that we will establish immediately a National Advisory Council
on Citizen Security," she stated. "This Council on Citizen Security
is intended to be able to have the widest possible portion of the things that
we must consider and do, in order to be able to ensure that Barbados does not
fall down the rabbit hole that, regrettably, other countries have done down
into as a result of the access to assault weapons and automatic weapons,"
Mottley said.
The council
will include prominent figures including Professor Newton, a University of the
West Indies law faculty dean and historian, President of the Senate Reginald
Farley as deputy chair, opposition spokesperson Verla DePeiza, and leaders in
business, education, and religious organisations.
Mottley
emphasised that the council will not only respond to government directives but
will also actively engage with community groups to gather insights and
recommendations. She expressed hope that this initiative would stimulate
widespread interest and participation among Barbadians.
Acknowledging
that no single party or institution is solely responsible for the country's
social challenges, Mottley noted that the new council will complement ongoing
efforts by various institutions, including the Law Reform Commission.
The prime
minister indicated that difficult discussions would be necessary. She outlined
several legislative matters for consideration by the council, including an
anti-gang initiative requested by the Opposition and electronic intercept
legislation sought by law enforcement agencies.
"The
National Council will have to advise as well as government will have to make a
decision on whether this country wants, like Australia and others, to become a
gun-free society; whether even with all of that, there should be a further gun
amnesty," she said.
As the
government awaits recommendations from the new anti-crime entity, Mottley
warned that immediate actions could still be taken in the crime fight.
She also
expressed grave concern over children and youth involved in violent crime.
"Children and young people is where this begins and ends," she said. ".... We have a double concern about those between the ages of 16 and 21 who now find themselves facing charges of murder and, under our law, can face the most serious penalties known to our system."
- Members of National Advisory Council on Citizen Security
- Chairperson Professor Velma Newton
- Deputy Chairperson President of the Senate Reginald Farley
- Members Opposition Leader Ralph Thorne or the DLP's spokesperson on crime
- Chairman of the Barbados Private Sector Association Trisha Tannis
- President of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce James Clarke
- CEO of Goddard Enterprises Limited Anthony Ali
- The Barbados Workers' Union representative, Kamisha Benjamin
- General Secretary of the CTUSAB Dennis DePeiza
- Barbados Bar Association representative, Michael Lashley KC
- The National Council of Parent-Teachers Association
- Director of PAREDOS Cecily Clarke-Richmond
- The Barbados Youth Parliament
- Former Chief Information Officer Sharon Lynch
- Barbados Evangelical Association representative - Reverend Winston Clarke
- The Barbados Christian Council
- The Barbados Muslim Association
- President of the Barbados Union of Teachers Rudy Lovell
- President of the Barbados Secondary Teachers' Union Mary Redman or her representative
- The Association of Public Primary School Principals
- The Barbados Association of Principals of Public Secondary Schools
- Former Deputy Commissioner of Police Oral Reid
- Director of the Centre for Criminal Justice and Security at the UWI Professor Corin Bailey
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