Barbados Sees Significant Decrease in Crime Rates, including Homicides, in 2023

In 2023, Barbados experienced a notable decrease in crime rates, particularly in homicides, which dropped from 43 in 2022 to 21 the subsequent year.

This marked the lowest murder rate for the island nation in the past decade. Police Commissioner Richard Boyce underscored the significant reduction, highlighting that the murder rate per capita for 2023 stood at 7 per 100 000, a considerable improvement from the 15 per 100 000 recorded in 2022.

Gang Truce

A pivotal turning point in crime reduction was attributed to a truce brokered between two prominent gangs in February 2023. Over 200 individuals from different blocks and communities, facilitated by the government’s intervention, gathered in Chapman Lane, The City, to pledge an end to the longstanding conflict. Winston “Iston Bull” Branch, a respected figure in Chapman Lane, played a role in mediating the truce.

Minister of Crime Prevention Corey Lane assured at the time that this move would serve in the best interest of the country. The intervention marked one of the few successes since Lane’s appointment as the Minister responsible for Crime Prevention, given his longstanding advocacy for youth.

Following the truce, Lane’s Ministry, under the Attorney General’s Office, attempted to further address the crime situation through social interventions. In April, the National Peace Programme was launched, focusing on helping at-risk youth get on track and steering them away from a life of crime and violence.

Another highly-touted social intervention program by the police commissioner was The Prince’s Trust International Team Programme. This 12-week development initiative targeted at-risk young persons between the ages of 16 and 25, teaching life skills and how to build resilience, while introducing them to tools enabling responsible societal membership.

Boyce said the success of the programme and turned the lives around of many at risk youth.

Gun concern

Despite the overall improvement in the crime situation, concerns lingered over the prevalence of guns and gun-related crimes, with at least 14 murders in 2023 attributed to firearms. In January, there were three recorded gun-related killings. Ramon Tyrone Archer, 33, was shot dead at Risk Road, Fitts Village, St James on January 6; and Dwayne Hall, 40, fell victim to an alleged home invasion at Coral Drive, Atlantic Shores, Christ Church, on January 25, 2023. Additionally, Norris Broomes, 44, of Rock Hall, St Lucy, was shot dead.