DID THE ROYAL Barbados Police Force drift off into a figurative state of slumber recently? If so, snap out of it!
The killing of 64-year-old Guyanese Brenda Belle two Tuesday nights ago followed a violent attack in the Fairchild Street Market the previous Saturday night. Needless to say, that incident would have been reported and the victim treated at a public medical facility.
It is clear, however, that very little happened on the part of the law enforcement system afterwards. I’m well aware that suspects are routinely picked up for offences far less serious, yet Belle’s assailant was not arrested or questioned, and she was allowed to go home unprotected after being treated for an attack in a public place where police would have gone to investigate the disturbance.
It pains me to ask whether this was seen by the police as nothing to shout about. Is this how the law is enforced in Barbados today?
Then there was the matter of the tragedy in The Ivy. This too had its origin in a report to the police requesting assistance in settling a family dispute over a karaoke machine, but no police action was taken to prevent what escalated into an altercation that ended in the loss of an innocent life.
So where do we go from here? After quick action in capturing some of the most wanted suspects recently, is this a new season of foul-ups, bleeps and blunders, since the recent back-to-back tragedies are not too far removed in time from the arrest and remand of an accused rapist whom two British victims later insisted was the wrong man?
Given the much-publicized lack of manpower, as the police force makes commendable efforts to attract reluctant Barbadian men and women into its ranks, could it be that some potentially dangerous matters are being initially treated as routine?
Why would officers take hours to get to the scenes of serious domestic disputes but descend on Parkinson School in a hurry to address a scuffle?
And based on what seems to be purely reactive police behaviour in the two recent fatal matters of Belle and little Joshua Boyce, I must ask: Does any police force have the luxury not to be proactive?
Could such a clear failure by the system, as attorney David Comissiong described it, also stem from the fact that the ongoing court case involving controversial promotions within the force has been stalled repeatedly and frustratingly?
Barbados is a modern society, a tourist destination and an environment in which its citizens and residents are being increasingly challenged by declining resources in recessionary circumstances – including police officers themselves who are not among the best paid in the society; but those officers must decide whether they will work in a perfunctory manner, since they cannot march in protest on the streets, or continue to aim for excellence as members of one of Barbados’ most important national institutions.
The very survival of the country depends upon this; and with that in mind I must commend Commissioner of Police Darwin Dottin for insisting that no victim of alleged domestic violence be turned away from any police station, and that in cases where there is injury or exposure to danger, the victim must be accompanied by an officer.
His quick reaction to Belle’s death, in particular, shows that the public’s outcry regarding her several reports to police prior to the final attack has not fallen on deaf ears.
Also worthy of praise is Dottin’s decision to stop the practice of people being turned away when they lodge complaints at police stations that do not necessarily cover their district. The police’s role in preventing and responding to crime is too important to be merely clerical.
It should also be noted that in this country’s draft National Strategic Plan 2005-2025, a major objective is to eradicate all forms of violence and abuse within and among families.
It notes: “The issue of domestic violence in Barbados is widespread and impinges on every stratum of society. This dysfunctional behaviour will need to be seriously tackled if we are to move forward with changes to our social landscape.”
Its strategies include reviewing and upgrading existing legislation regarding domestic violence, providing counselling and therapy for victims and abusers, programmes to promote greater parenting skills and the provision of shelter for persons at risk of domestic violence.
Such legislation should indeed be a priority during this Government’s current term.
• Ricky Jordan is an Associate Editor of THE NATION. Email: [email protected].
