A surge in gun violence recently may be linked to a new set of feuding gangs, says Minister of State in the Office of the Attorney General with responsibility for Crime Prevention, Corey Lane.
Dismissing claims that an earlier peace accord between rival factions had collapsed, he said emerging conflicts among other groups could be fuelling the recent wave of shootings.
In an interview with the Sunday Sun, Lane said that while crime falls under the purview of the Barbados Police Service, the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of National Security, his focus remains on crime prevention.
“Where we are seeing an uptick in violent crime, what I can tell you is that Inspire Leadership Solutions has been working with us on the first accord
and they are now trying to put together a second accord,” he said.
He rejected speculation that the initial gang truce had failed.
“There is a misnomer out there that the first accord has broken down or has failed to some extent. All indications that I am getting is that it is still ongoing and something else has popped up.”
The first peace accord, reached in February 2023, brought together more than 200 men from rival groups – including Choppers 64 and Red Sea – who agreed to end years of violent conflict. The initiative was led by community leaders, including Winston “Iston Bull” Branch, after a previous Government attempt failed to gain traction. Many Barbadians expressed relief that gang-related killings might finally subside.
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