Opposition leader Ralph Thorne has intensified his call for the swift passage of anti-gang legislation, accusing the government of failing to protect Barbadian children from the escalating scourge of gun violence.
Speaking at a branch meeting in Sugar Hill, St Joseph, over the weekend, Thorne expressed deep concern over the alarming rise in gun-related slayings, pointing to last Thursday’s deadly shooting in Silver Hill that claimed the life of 13-year-old Shawnaton Chase, a bystander at a netball match.
He argued that the government must take greater responsibility for ensuring national safety and strongly criticised the administration’s approach to tackling crime.
“You can’t have 12 and 13 people dying in two months without people understanding that there’s something fundamentally wrong with Barbados,” Thorne said, renewing his call for the passage of anti-gang legislation.
“I’ve asked her [Prime Minister Mia Mottley] to pass anti-gang legislation. . . . Rather than deal with crime in Barbados, I just read, ‘Oh, guns don’t walk and guns don’t talk.’ What does that mean?” he questioned.
Thorne also questioned whether the government had a clear, strategic approach to combating gun violence, suggesting that leadership failures at the highest level were contributing to the crisis.
“The attorney general has an administrative relationship with The Barbados Police Service. He has the power to meet with them. What is the strategic approach of The Barbados Police Service in relation to crime?” he asked.
The opposition leader dismissed the government’s current crime-fighting rhetoric, including the ongoing ‘If You See Something, Say Something’ campaign as “foolishness” and an attempt to shift the burden of tackling crime onto ordinary citizens.
“The Barbados Police Service is there to work with the people, not place the burden on them,” he said.
Thorne further linked the surge in criminal activity to economic hardship, arguing that many young Barbadians faced a stark choice between low-paying jobs and a life of crime.
“Young men who have children, who are hungry, turn to crime. I’m not making an excuse for them. I am explaining their circumstances. A lot of young people in Barbados now have a choice between low wages and crime. And some are choosing crime,” he said. (SZB)
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