Attorney General Wilfred Abrahams declared that gangs do exist in Barbados and warned that anyone who joins, assists, harbours or associates with them could face lengthy prison sentences of ten to 25 years.
Speaking during debate yesterday on the Criminal Gangs Prevention And Control Bill, 2026 Abrahams dismissed any suggestion that gangs were not a local problem.
“There are gangs in Barbados,” he told Parliament, noting that Government, the judiciary, the Barbados Bar Association and other stakeholders involved in consultations on the legislation all accepted that reality.
“If you belong to a gang, associate with a gang, engage in gang-related activities, harbour or conceal, facilitate or encourage persons in gangrelated activities, you will go to jail,” he said.
Abrahams later confirmed that harbouring a gang member would carry a sentence of between ten and 25 years’ imprisonment upon conviction.
The Attorney General’s comments followed an extensive presentation by Minister of Legal Affairs and Criminal Justice Michael Lashley, who described the proposed legislation as a “landmark” bill and one that would provide law enforcement with a critical new tool in the fight against organised crime.
Years of consultation
Lashley said the legislation emerged from years of consultation involving the Citizen Security Advisory Council, legal professionals, victims of crime and other stakeholders. He noted that research conducted among prison inmates had revealed that some individuals admitted being gang members, associating with gangs or participating in gang-related activities.
The minister stressed that the legislation was designed not only to punish criminal behaviour but also to protect communities and strengthen public safety.
Importantly, he sought to address concerns that certain neighbourhoods could be unfairly targeted.
“This bill provides a safeguard,” Lashley said, explaining that the legislation specifically states that the community in which a person lives cannot be used as a factor in determining whether they are a gang member.
He said the measure was intended to ensure that people were judged by their actions rather than where they reside.
Under the bill, a gang is defined as an association, organisation, network or group of three or more people engaged in criminal activity, gang-related conduct, intimidation, violence or activities aimed at gaining power, influence or financial benefit.
Abrahams explained that legislators deliberately settled on three members as the threshold for defining a gang after considering whether the number should be higher.
The Attorney General said waiting until groups expanded to five or more people could make intervention more difficult, allowing criminal organisations to become more entrenched before authorities could act.
The legislation also broadens the definition of a gang member. It includes not only those formally belonging to a gang but also individuals who knowingly associate with gangs or support gang activities.
Abrahams warned that public displays of gang affiliation could have serious consequences.
He pointed to instances where people appearing before the courts were greeted by supporters making gang signs and said similar conduct, including posting gang-related images or symbols on social media, could potentially be used as evidence of gang association.
“If you associate with a gang, you leave yourself open to becoming or being classified as a gang member,” he said.
The bill also targets those who tip off gang members about police investigations or law enforcement operations.
Lashley noted that people often underestimated the seriousness of sharing information that could help suspects evade authorities. He warned that circulating messages alerting individuals to police activity could amount to a criminal offence under the legislation.
Abrahams reinforced that position, stating that anyone who knowingly disclosed information with the intention of prejudicing a gang-related investigation could face between ten and 25 years in prison.
Recruitment is another area heavily addressed by the proposed law.
Lashley said Government was particularly concerned about protecting young people from gang influence. He argued that gang leaders often preyed on vulnerable youth, including those from troubled homes, those struggling in school and those affected by substance abuse.
Abrahams revealed that recruiting a child into a gang would carry penalties of between ten and 25 years’ imprisonment. If the recruitment takes place at a school, place of worship or within 500 metres of either location, the penalty increases to between 15 and 25 years.
Retaliatory violence
The legislation also introduces stiff penalties for retaliatory violence, including attacks on individuals who provide information to police.
Abrahams said retaliation against witnesses, informants or former gang members could result in prison sentences ranging from 15 to 30 years.
The bill further seeks to protect the integrity of the justice system by imposing some of the harshest penalties on those who threaten judges, prosecutors, jurors or other officials involved in gang-related cases. Individuals convicted of intimidating or interfering with judicial officers or jurors could face sentences of between 20 and 30 years’ imprisonment.
Abrahams said the message behind the legislation was unmistakeable.
Describing the measure as one of the most rigorously consulted pieces of legislation ever developed in Barbados, he said Government was determined to confront what it viewed as the destabilising effects of gang culture and restore public confidence in safety and security.
“This is being done to protect citizens and this is being done to protect Barbados,” Abrahams said.
(NS)
