LET’S GIVE JACK his jacket!
On February 11 we published a story relating to the discovery of four semi-automatic pistols in a shipment of goods that had arrived at the Bridgetown Port and the charging of a man by police in relation to that seizure.
In that story, which was accompanied by a photograph of the guns, we quoted Acting Commissioner of Police Tyrone Griffith as reiterating that the force intended to use all of its muscle to get illegal guns off the streets.
Additionally, in speaking about the need for cooperation between all agencies involved in the fight, Griffith noted: “We will get the guns off the streets of Barbados. We’re not going to stop until we do it. Once we put our heads together, and work together, I am confident we can make a dent in these guns coming into the country.
“I remain extremely confident, and feel wisdom will prevail. The parties involved will understand what is required to be done.”
Last week, however, I had a brief conversation with a veteran in customs enforcement in Barbados who pointed out that some people in the Customs and Excise Department were unhappy that they got no credit for the work they did in that particular case.
The official explained that “contrary to what some people might think” there are many hard-working, honest officers in customs who go to work every day determined to stop those who would seek to bring contraband into the island.
The guns, he said, were discovered by customs officers, the alleged importer was arrested by customs officers, and the seized items and the suspect were then handed over to police.
“When you read the Nation story you would get the impression this was a police operation, when it was not,” he added.
In all fairness, on the court page of the same edition there was a second report on the same incident that dealt with the appearance of a St Michael man in court. That report stated that “a search by customs officials revealed the . . . handguns . . . hidden in boxes of detergent”.
So take a bow, customs guys. I accept that the credit for this one belongs 100 per cent to you.