The Democratic Labour Party (DLP) has officially rejected Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s invitation to join the newly established National Advisory Council on Citizen Security.
In a public briefing held on Saturday at the opposition leader’s offices on Hincks Street, Ralph Thorne and the party’s spokesperson on Home Affairs and the Attorney General’s Office, Verla De Peiza, cited concerns about the council’s lack of critical security figures and criticised the government’s emphasis on vehicle tinting regulations rather than violent crime.
The decision comes as Barbados grapples with a rise in violent crime, prompting the government to create a council to address national security issues. However, the DLP’s leadership expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the council and pointed to the absence of key stakeholders, such as the Commissioner of Police and the head of the Barbados Defence Force (BDF), whose expertise they argue is crucial for the task at hand.
Thorne explained that after consulting with the DLP’s Executive Council, the party decided to decline the invitation. The primary concern was the absence of critical voices needed to effectively address national security issues.
“On matters of security, apparently the Commissioner of Police will not be present. The head of the BDF will not be present. Several of the government’s social agencies, certainly the Probation Department, will not be present,” he pointed out.
“So, while we are not questioning the competencies of those who sit on the council, we are questioning the conspicuous absences of critical persons whose jobs bring them into contact with the question of national and citizen security.”
The opposition leader was also critical of the government’s focus during its recent press conference, where much of the discussion centred on vehicle tinting regulations rather than violent crime.
“A lot of people came away from [the Prime Minister’s] press conference on Thursday disappointed that they did not hear the government speak as to the crisis of violent crime in Barbados. Everybody has come away discussing tint,” Thorne said, adding that the focus on tint had overshadowed the real issue at hand.
He further criticised the Prime Minister for overstepping her authority by threatening to impose fines for excessive vehicle tinting, arguing that she had no legal standing to do so. “The Prime Minister has no business dealing with the Road Traffic Act… She does not have that power,” Thorne asserted. “I want to give Barbadians the assurance that it will not happen. It cannot happen.”
De Peiza, who is also chair of the DLP’s crime commission, echoed Thorne’s concerns, revealing that the party had already been working on its own crime commission since July and was nearing the completion of its research.
“For the Democratic Labour Party, our own commission on crime, which I chair, is well advanced in its activities. We have been active since July of this year. Our research is almost complete,” she said.
The opposition spokesperson noted that the DLP’s focus had been on preventive measures, aiming to tackle crime by addressing its root causes. De Peiza criticised the government for failing to include any serious discussion of prevention in their crime plan, instead focusing on vehicle tinting, which she called “performative.”
“All of the research that we have unearthed so far has pointed us in the direction of prevention—directing people away from criminal activity by way of social engineering. And this was curiously absent from any of the discussion,” she explained.
She also expressed frustration that the conversation on crime had shifted towards tinting regulations, arguing that it detracted from the serious work needed to tackle violent crime. “In less than three hours from the press conference, I was already receiving ads for alternatives,” De Peiza said, adding that it demonstrated how little impact the tinting regulations would have on the real issue.
While she acknowledged the importance of addressing crime, she raised doubts about the council’s ability to make a meaningful impact, especially given its apparent lack of a long-term strategy.
“What was the intention in relation to our current state of crime was curiously absent from any of the deliberations,” she added, revealing that the DLP’s crime commission would soon release its findings and was prepared to share its research with the government to foster a broader discussion on crime prevention. “We have no difficulty at all because this is a national discussion… We’re sharing our research once concluded and sharing our findings and proposals once concluded.” (RG)
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