The time is coming when Barbados will be recruiting policemen from abroad, Attorney General?Adriel Brathwaite believes.
Brathwaite told the annual general meeting of the Barbados Police Association yesterday that though the stage had not yet been reached where the island would have to, “I think the time is drawing nigh”.
The Attorney General blamed peer pressure for preventing many youths from enlisting.
“I don’t get a sense that lots of our young people are interested in policing as a career . . . as it is not cool to be a police officer when you live in some places within our communities,” he said.
Brathwaite said the force still had a challenge not only in terms of manpower, but in relation to the quality of people seeking to enlist.
“There are certain minimum terms that we have to adhere to. We are certainly not going to recruit someone who comes with a history of drug abuse; we are certainly not going to recruit someone who comes with other issues,” he said.
Brathwaite also acknowledged that accommodation at some stations was below standard and lauded the policemen for being able to endure the less than amenable conditions.
