Attorney General Dale Marshall is expected to table amendments to the current firearms legislation in Parliament this Friday as Government works on multiple levels to “unleash” a national response to the crime situation.
Prime Minster Mia Amor Mottley, flanked by Attorney General Dale Marshall, made the announcement yesterday as she expressed full confidence in the ability of the newly sworn-in Minister of State in the Attorney General’s Office with responsibility for Crime Prevention, Corey Lane and the Attorney General.
Minister Lane, the former Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, who was accompanied by his wife Latoya, family members and well-wishers, took the Oath of Office, before the President of Barbados, Her Excellency the Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason, PM Mottley and AG Marshall, during a ceremony at State House.
The Prime Minister told the media that she “genuinely” believed that Minister Lane’s appointment as Minister of State in the Attorney General’s Office, “will allow us to do some things that we wanted to do with respect to ensuring that we attack crime not just as a law enforcement matter, but to have the greater coordination that the Government through its other ministries have been working prior to COVID”.
“I truly believe that between these two gentlemen on both my left and my right, that they can unlock the potential of this country to win this battle, both from a community and social perspective and similarly, from a law enforcement perspective,” Ms. Mottley stated.
Emphasising that Mr. Lane brought a wealth of experience to this area, the Prime Minister pointed out that he had been a community activist for almost 20 years and had worked with people at all levels.
Ms. Mottley said that while in the Ministry, the Minister of State and his team would be responsible for the coordination of crime prevention projects.
The Prime Minister expressed the desire to see the establishment of more sports clubs, youth/community groups and culture clubs across the island given that during the COVID-19 pandemic, government had resumed its lighting programme to illuminate approximately 85 playing fields and hard courts across the country.
“We also want to be able to ensure that we reach out to communities and communities embrace this fight. This is not as I said on Saturday, the fight of any one entity, or any one department. This is not even the fight of the government or the police alone. This is the fight of all of Barbados,” Ms. Mottley stressed.
She continued: “I think that when we look at it, the numbers that we are talking about potentially are not necessarily large, but the environment within which people are functioning has to change. There was a time for example, when people played cricket and the older men with the young boys were in the same clubs, and therefore the conversation and the mentorship was ever present…”
Meanwhile, Minister Lane contended that the crime situation was “a whole of Barbados problem that required a whole of Barbados solution”.
He added: “The reality is that there is a lot of misunderstanding as to what the role is about. But if you think about it, there are many things happening in the government, many things happening in civil society and the third sector that require coordination.
“There’s also a lot of things that need to be done and that requires action. And my role is really to coordinate and bring action to those things that are not happening; that speak directly to crime prevention in the short, medium and long term. And that is what I’m about to roll up my sleeves and get down to today.”