While most people are spending their Christmas weekend at home relaxing with family and friends there are others who have to report for duty.
For them it is business as usual.
The Police Force is busy implementing Operation Yuletide to ensure the island remains a safe place to enjoy the festivities.
Inspector David Welch, public relations officer of the Royal Barbados Police Force said that in an effort to maintain the peace and keep everyone safe, administrative officers had been pulled from their desks and assigned to ground and mobile patrols.
“We want to make sure peace is kept and those partying don’t engage in disruptive activities. We want this to be a season of joy,” said Welch.
This peace-keeping includes frequent passing through The City Centre, major shopping areas and party spots. Welch assured that the Force was more than adequately staffed and said: “The police don’t close.”
The same was true for the Fire Service.
Fire officer Shirley Phillips-Griffith of the Worthing fire station said her team remained ready to act at all times. She said they were especially alert on a 14 hour Christmas Eve shift as that was when people were likely to be tired and cooking. However, she said most calls they received were cases of people seeing smoke because someone was baking a ham but luckily these didn’t escalate into fires.
Health workers also stood prepared to assist the public. Chief Executive Officer of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Dexter James informed that the holidays were conducive to increased activity for staff in the Accident and Emergency department.
James said he hoped people would exercise more caution while enjoying themselves.
