A new Bail Act will soon be taken to Parliament.
Attorney General Dale Marshall made the announcement today as he addressed the media after signing a Project Implementation Letter governing the provision of technical assistance for the partial renovation of the Regional Police Training School, in the Solicitor General’s Conference Room, at Webster’s Business Park, Wildey, St. Michael.
Mr. Marshall continued: “I expect that a new Bail Act will be before Parliament, not tomorrow, but by the following week. Bail and how it is dealt with in the courts is something that we recognise…that we have to grapple with.
“We think that we have a solution for it…. We think that the judicial system can operate on bail applications in a way that will have greater regard to the safety of Barbadians.”
The Attorney General acknowledged that Government was putting various systems in place to deal with the violence and homicides, as he pointed out that the police had ramped up their policing.
Mr. Marshall stated: “There’s a lot that’s happening, and what’s most important is that Barbadians have to feel that they have a stake in this too…. These people doing these things come from homes; they belong to society. They went to school, [and] they went church.
“So, I’m satisfied that the Government is doing; maybe we’re not doing all that we can, because there’s always something else that you can do. But in terms of our social programmes, our law enforcement, The Barbados Police Service has the largest budget ever in its history this year. Last year, they had the largest budget in history up to then. So, we’re making sure that they are not starved for resources; we’re doing all of these things to try to keep Barbadians safe. So, we just need Barbadians now to understand that they are a partner in this and together we will keep Barbados safe.”