Government will shortly launch a new programme to better deploy the resources of The Barbados Police Service (TBPS).
Attorney General Dale Marshall disclosed that a policy decision has been taken with regard to police responding to certain types of accidents and gave the assurance that details on this new policy would be shared shortly.
“A lot of those accidents…that require police assistance are fender benders, minor accidents, accidents without injury. And often before the police even get there, the insurance special response is already there, taking photographs, statements and so on. We feel that if we can minimise the number of accidents that our police officers go to, that it would see our officers being able to work much more efficiently and concentrate their efforts on really serious crimes….
“It will be a change in what Barbadians are accustomed to, but we think it will be an initiative that will help us to better utilise our manpower and as the months go on, you will see us adopting more and more strategies, which will allow us to better use the numbers that we have,” Mr. Marshall stated.
He made the comments today after signing a Project Implementation Letter governing the provision of technical assistance for the partial renovation of the Regional Police Training School, at the Solicitor General’s Conference Room, Webster’s Business Park, Wildey, St. Michael.
The Attorney General noted that small police services had adopted a number of strategies to better utilise their officers.
In expanding on the upcoming change to how police respond to accidents, he continued: “There are between 6,000 and 8,000 traffic accidents every year, and you know the Bajan thing, don’t move that car, we calling the police…. You wait until the police get there, it may take two hours because the police is already off dealing with a burglary or robbery or something else, and you stick up there and stick up the road….
“Then, of course, the police come and they’re going to measure, … and it takes a whole lot of time. Consequent to that, the parties are going to want a police report, so instead of being out there investigating crime, a police officer now has to go through all his stuff and do up a report, which they tell me the people don’t even come for.”