Government

Serious Organised Unit Coming To Tackle Crime

Government will be setting up a Serious Organised Crime Unit as another enforcement arm in The Barbados Police Service to bring the crime situation under control.

Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley announced that the new unit would focus “entirely on organised crime and gangs without prejudice to the work of the Major Crime and any other unit in the police service”, during a recent press conference at Ilaro Court.

Ms. Mottley told reporters that the unit was a key recommendation coming from the Independent International Police Assistance Service Report, which was executed through the British Government and the Commonwealth Secretariat.

She added that temporary posts would be created for the unit, which will operate alongside existing police divisions.

Ms Mottley maintained: “The reality is that we … over the course of the last few weeks in particular, haven’t seen an abeyance of it for about 15 and a half months, seeing a spike of crime where persons who know one another, have been the victims of murder…

“The AG will also tell you that the police have indicated to him, in very clear terms, and perhaps they need to do that more so for the public, that in many instances, the cases of what we are seeing are not arbitrary crime but are cases where people know each other, and where in some instances you may even use the word vendetta is being perpetrated. This is not the way to settle business in this country. We have law courts and therefore it cannot be in any way tolerated….”

The Prime Minister also disclosed that members of the police band will be deployed to assist with Government’s community policing efforts. “We believe that The Barbados Police Service Band, which has a history of over a hundred years, is well placed to be able to help us in that effort.

“If they need additional instruments and other things to be able to put out there so that they can give these youngsters a chance to have purpose and skills at the same time, then we will work with them to provide that across a number of communities,” Ms. Mottley said. (PR/GIS)

Government

Call For Global Community To Invest In Healthcare Infrastructure

The Government of Barbados is calling on the global community to support investments in healthcare infrastructure for all countries in order to address the current population trends and tackle emerging healthcare challenges as they arise.

Former Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Investment, Patrick McCaskie, expressed this view recently during his presentation at the 58th Session of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development, held at UN Headquarters in New York, from April 7 to 11.

Mr. McCaskie led the Barbados delegation at the annual session, which was held under the theme Ensuring Health Life and Promoting Well-Being for All Ages.

The aim of the session was to review and assess the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development at the national, regional, and international levels and its contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The senior government official highlighted the progress made at the national level in ensuring universal coverage and access to quality preventative and curative care and services, including the adoption of a consistent childhood immunisation and vaccination programme and declines recorded in adolescent fertility rate, which fell from 33.5 per cent in 2017 to 26.29 per cent in 2020.

Mr. McCaskie stressed the need for national and global partnerships, stating that they were necessary to “strengthen the healthcare infrastructure through investment modalities that give recognition to the unique vulnerabilities and fiscal constraints of small island states”.

“Emphasis should be placed on the development of conducive financing mechanisms, in accordance with the Bridgetown Initiative,” he added.

During the event, the significance of demographic intelligence to informing evidence-based health policies, strengthening health systems, and promoting sustainable development was discussed during a forum on Demographic Intelligence for Health Equity: Harnessing Data for Inclusive Policies and Universal Coverage.

Participants were exposed to the potential insights and policy developments based on increased data access, with examples taken from Panama and Indonesia.

In his remarks, Permanent Representative of Barbados to the United Nations, Ambassador François Jackman, advised that expanded access to up-to-date and quality information on the size, structure, and composition of the population, future projections through enhanced demographic intelligence would guide the work of policy to transform healthcare policy formulation and wider national development planning processes.

Ambassador Jackman further underscored the urgent need to pursue global and regional partnerships, including maximising opportunities for triangular and south-south cooperation, in order to transform our systems and support the implementation of the SDGs.

The Programme of Action, which was adopted at the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, Egypt in 1994, aims to address many of the fundamental population, health, education, and development challenges facing the entire human community. (PR/GIS)

Government

Mental Health Workers: Champions Of Change Across Communities

Employees of the Psychiatric Hospital have been urged to see themselves as champions of change across Barbados, to lessen the stigma of mental illness.

This message was conveyed by Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Davidson Ishmael, at the 2025 Employee Rewards and Recognition Ceremony of the Psychiatric Hospital, last Saturday, at Mahogany Ridge, Plum Tree Road, St. James.

Held under the theme Excellence in Healthcare Delivery, the event saw the Minister lauding staff, for “a tremendous job” and encouraging them to continue working to uplift their brothers and sisters, as they daily handle acute cases of mental health.

Mr. Ishmael, who stressed that many people needed an uplifting hand, given the several mental health challenges faced by society, suggested a comforting word or hug, could help bring such persons back from the precipice.

He praised the hospital’s anti-stigma campaign and emphasised it needed to be embraced to break down the mental blockades which lend to persons taking a stand-off approach to mental illness.

The Minister stated: “I want us, as champions of mental health in our country, to see ourselves as bigger than the Psychiatric Hospital and see yourselves as part of the messengers that have to go out there on a daily basis, within your various conversations, …wherever people are….

“Take a moment to encourage those who are around you to take better care of their mental health, so we can avoid, and we can pull back some of this discrimination, some of these unfortunate incidents that we are seeing in our country because we really have to do better in this country, and it begins with all of us.”

He also reminded staff that excellence in mental health required not only clinical knowledge and technical skill, but profound empathy, patience, resilience, and an unwavering belief in human dignity. And Mr. Ishmael stressed it was for this reason several of them were being honoured for consistently demonstrating this belief, not only through words but through action.

“You remind us that compassion is not just a value. It is practice. You are the reason that hope reaches the hopeless, and healing touches the broken,” he stated.

Several staffers received long service awards for having spent 10 to 40 years at the Black Rock, St. Michael institution. Social worker, Cecilia Ramsay received the 40-year award while Senior Nursing Officer, Alfred Alleyne was bestowed the 35-year award. Both were presented by Minister Ishmael.

Three people received the Hospital Director’s Award – Infection Control Officer, Selvin Greenidge; Deputy Principal Nursing Officer, Michelle Moore; and Department Aide, Rodney Stuart. The hospital also recognised its retirees and presented the “Friends of Psychiatric Hospital Award” to four persons – Peter ‘Peter Ram” Wiggins, Geoffrey “Biggie Irie” Cordle, Nikita Herbert, and Faith Callender – for their voluntary service to the institution and championing mental health initiatives. (PR/GIS)

Caption: Senior Nursing Officer at the Psychiatric Hospital, Alfred Alleyne (right), is presented with the 35-year award by Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Davidson Ishmael at the hospital’s awards ceremony last Saturday.

Government

EDMUND HINKSON RESIGNS

Speaker of the House of Assembly The Hon Arthur Holder shortly after the sitting began today read a letter of resignation submitted by the Hon. Edmund Hinkson representative for St. James North.

The letter stated ‘In accordance with Section 45 (1) b of the Constitution of Barbados, I hereby give notice that I shall resign from the Parliament of Barbados a the Member for the Constituency of St. James North effective Friday April 25th, April, 2025 at 10am.