The Ministry of Legal Affairs and Criminal Justice has launched a new public education campaign discouraging the harbouring of fugitives and gang members.
The campaign follows the passage of the Criminal Gangs (Prevention and Control) Act, which carries severe penalties for harbouring gang members and recruiting people into gangs.
The law creates a suite of specific gang-related offences, most of which carry mandatory minimum prison terms between ten and 25 years, and up to 35 years for attacks on law enforcement and for certain leadership or support roles.
The launch, held at the Office of the Attorney General, was attended by newly appointed Commissioner of Police Sonia Boyce and other ministry officials.
The campaign, which forms part of the government’s crime prevention programme, features two public service announcements.
Minister of Legal Affairs and Criminal Justice Michael Lashley said: “One would be specific to the Criminal Gangs Act and one basically would be general in terms of harboring and as you know, the criminal gangs legislation places very strong penalties on the harboring of gang members and persons who recruit gangs and the penalties are very stiff.”
There will also be a wider national public education drive involving posters and outreach to schools, communities and service clubs, he said.
“This will involve reaching out to the schools, community engagement, other service clubs, of course. We need to have all players involved that touched and concerned the crime prevention programme.”
He stressed the need to utilise social media to get involved in this initiative:
“WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, whatever, to reach persons, and this is the first start of the engagement of community persons, because we are using community persons who played a very important part in the development of this, these two [public service announcements].”
Lashley encouraged Barbadians to view the PSAs not only as warnings but also as a call to action to join the fight against crime.
He also expressed confidence in Commissioner Boyce but underscored the importance of going into communities.
“We cannot solve it by just enforcement. You have to solve it by reaching into communities and getting persons who are at the brink of touching the criminal justice system, and persons who are young. That we believe are vulnerable, who might not be part of the criminal justice system but might be vulnerable to gang leaders and drug dealers.”
New Commissioner of Police, Sonia Boyce and Minister of Legal Affairs and Criminal Justice, Michael Lashley present the new poster as part of the public education campaing discouraging harbouring. (Photo Credit: Lourianne Graham/Barbados TODAY)
Representatives of the Barbados Association of Principals of Public Secondary Schools also received campaign posters for distribution to schools during the launch.
(LG)
