Barbados Grapples with Surge in Violence as Community Leaders Seek Solutions

Relentless anti-violence crusader Jacqueline Caesar, whose son was gunned down two years ago, says she fears she is fighting a losing battle with every brutal incident in the last few weeks.

On another day of bloodletting Thursday, a man’s throat was slashed in Brittons New Road, Brittons Hill, St Michael, and earlier a man was shot in the head at Bellevue, Waterford, St Michael. Both victims were hospitalised in serious condition and police have suspects in custody.

Barbados had a rapid series of killings over the last few weeks, with homicides reaching 27 in 27 weeks, the last three deaths occurring this week.

“Personally, with each death I wonder if I am fighting a losing battle. I see myself serving a life sentence in a life without my son. I am extremely sensitive to death among our youth and I am unable to watch the videos of the various homicide scenes. It is painful and is a constant reminder of a distressing reality that my son’s life was taken at the hands of a gunman and I was robbed of a future with him and another mother has been added to that dreadful list,” Caesar said.

Victims included the young and not-so-young, men and women, and involved the use of guns, cutlasses and wood.

From Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley to the top brass of The Barbados Police Service, led by Commissioner of Police Richard Boyce, have lamented the deaths and promised action in the form of a new crime unit, the Serious Organised Crime Unit, targeting gangs and adjusting duties for more manpower.

But as the violence continues unabated, a number of now retired ace detectives are afraid that “too much politics” is hindering the service, which has experienced similar surges in the past but was united enough to conquer it.

One retiree suggested a constant uniform presence in trouble spots and being on the ground to get the information, though he conceded there were some violent incidents that the police would not be able to head off like some domestic cases. He was loath to speak, as he did not want anyone to believe he was crying down the service but added that the identity of those bringing in the guns must still be a concern.

“We know who, but they are protected, but what are you going to do if you don’t have a strong service to go after those people,” the former sleuth said.

Another investigator, who tracked some of the island’s most wanted people and cracked some of its high-profile cases, also feared the damage caused by “politics” getting in the way of the officers’ job.

He believed the perception that the judiciary was slapping the young offenders on the wrist was emboldening them since they knew the automatic death penalty was off the table and that dragging out a case could get them a discount.