Barbadian Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite has given notice that the Barbados Defense Force (BDF) will be called to action in the fight against crime in the eastern Caribbean island.
“Recently, we have seen an increase in gun violence and gun-related crime which, if left unchecked, will result in further deterioration in national security and public safety of this island,” he said.
BDF has already assisted cops
The BDF has already assisted police in several drug operations, which have resulted in the seizure of $18 million in illicit drugs. About 11,400 pounds of compressed marijuana, 28,000 marijuana plants, and 370 kilos of cocaine have been seized. The joint operations have also resulted in 17 vessels being seized and 51 people being apprehended.
Crime and violence on the rise
Brathwaite said since the BDF’s inception in 1979 to guard against primarily external threats of a military nature, a changing global society had created the need for Barbados to be vigilant.
Crime and violence have been increasing in the Caribbean and Latin America for a number of years but Island states like Barbados were largely immune to the scourge. In recent times murders have increased in the country and the gun is the weapon of choice.
Jamaica, Haiti, and Trinidad have the unenvied position of leaders in the Caribbean region in terms of murder rate and the easy availability of guns and ammunition.
