The Barbados Police Service still needs about 250 “good men and women” to bring it to optimum numbers.
Attorney General Dale Marshall said they recognised policing was not as attractive now as it was in the past, and officers were dealing with a new kind of criminal.
“The environment that our officers face today is one where they see a wider range of crime, some of which is more complex and far more dangerous than police officers of two generations ago,” Marshall said.
“They are expected to respond to an increased level of gun crimes, in particular, but also property crimes, financial crimes, crimes against the person, and en vogue these days, is even cybercrimes.”
The Attorney General was speaking on Sunday at a special church service at the Calvary Temple Community Church at the Grove, St Philip, where religious leaders prayed for members of the service.
“Criminals have become more brazen, you see this; they have become more calculating and more savvy. In the case of gun crime, which I know concerns all of you, there are oftentimes as well equipped as the Police Service,” Marshall continued.
“I highlight this, not to alarm you, but to underscore why it is so important for the public – represented today by this congregation – to play its part by assisting the police in every way possible. I’ve said it before, I can’t say it enough, if you see something, say something.” (SAT)
