Police give Crop Over security top marks

By Emmanuel Joseph

The Barbados Police Service is “highly satisfied” with the outcome and conduct of this year’s Crop Over festival, saying it was “a job well done from a security point of view”.

Commissioner of Police Richard Boyce gave that preliminary assessment on Tuesday although there was a shooting that left four people injured on Kadooment Day.

He told Barbados TODAY that despite that and one other “unfortunate” incident – referring to the storming of the Powda event in the early part of the season – patrons and promoters played their part in assisting police, the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) and other private security stakeholders in making Crop Over something of which “we all can be proud”.

Boyce acknowledged that the return to the old route along Black Rock, St Michael would have posed some security challenges, but he said law enforcement agencies were on top of things.

“We were up to those challenges and made sure that things ran well. It was only at the very end coming close to the finishing line that an unfortunate incident occurred, and even when it occurred, we were able to get in there and put our persons out in the field to make sure it did not get out of hand. We were about to bring persons responsible into custody and do some good work where that is concerned,” Boyce said.

In an initial statement about the shooting incident to which Boyce referred, police said one woman received a legal injury when a shooting occurred around 6:15 p.m. on Black Rock Main Road, St Michael, as hundreds lined the streets to watch the bands pass.

However, on Tuesday, police public affairs and communications officer Inspector Rodney Inniss said: “Our investigations further revealed that there were a total of four persons who were shot. Two females and two males. One female was shot in her thigh and the other in her knee. One of the males was shot in his chest and the other his abdomen.”

Meanwhile, Commissioner Boyce disclosed that police were able to seize several weapons during the Crop Over Festival, but said the details of that would come at a later date.

He said that overall, “there were many positives which can be identified that will make us proud of our work and also the overall good behaviour of persons who attended the various events”.

“Thousands of patrons were well-behaved and they followed the messages and advice that the police service would have disseminated to make the festival an enjoyable one with the minimum inconvenience. Promoters and organisers played their part in terms of upping their security measures at events and this also assisted us very well. We were able to manage every event very professionally, thus ensuring that persons were comfortable moving around and staying out late at night, and this in itself is a stamp of confidence that persons placed in the Barbados Police Service and the Barbados Defence Force to look after their safety and security when they are out late at night,” he said.