Despite its successes with crime reduction, community involvement remains one of the most potent weapons of police in their drive to keep Barbados safe.
This was the conclusion of acting Assistant Commissioner of Police, Erwin Boyce, as he addressed the launch of the Warrens Park South Neighbourhood Watch in the rapidly expanding commercial and residential section of St Michael on Saturday afternoon.
Boyce provided statistics to residents, fellow police officers and parliamentary representative Ronald Toppin to show where there had been reductions in reported crimes.
He also responded to strident criticism of attendees about noise pollution, particular at night, from motorists with noisy mufflers who perform stunts around the nearby roundabout and near commercial properties in the area.
Noting that he too suffered from time to time from similar activities in the south of the island where he lived, Boyce spoke of the challenges the force had dealing particularly with motorcyclists who have resorted to operating in large numbers to thwart police responses.
Toppin, a veteran parliamentarian, in an impromptu intervention, supported Boyce, noting that there was no criminal legislation dealing with noise pollution in Barbados, but suggested that residents could seek civil redress via a class action suit in the law courts on the issue of nuisance.
Meanwhile, Boyce promised that, as they had done repeatedly over the years, the force would continue to deploy both plainclothed and uniformed police in the area, and would work with residents and operators of businesses, particularly the nearby SOL gas station, to achieve a solution.
He noted though, that through a deliberate programme of sustained community involvement, which included the fostering and support of neighbourhood watch associations, they had been reaping positive results in their crime reduction exercises.
Overall, he explained, there had been a five per cent reduction in reported crime last year over 2012. Included in the overall figure was a six per cent decline in crimes against the person and a 19 per cent drop in reported crimes against property.
He told residents, however: “But what concerned us during the year is the report of residential burglaries. These reports increased by 3.4 per cent from 1 548 in 2012 to 1 601 in 2013, and a substantial number of these reports indicated that many of them were committed on residences for the first time.
“It has suggested to us that we have to be far more effective in our anti-burglary initiative and in our crime prevention programmes. Further, we are seeing the need for a refreshed awareness campaign by home owners or occupiers as to the best practices in respect of the security of their premises.”
(RRM)
