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Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley (centre) after cutting the ribbon to officially open the St Clair Police Station on Friday. Accompanying him were government ministers Fitzgerald Hinds, Energy Minister Stuart Young and Finance Minister Colm Imbert.
(centre)PM Dr. Keith Rowley, cut the ribbon, alongside CoP McDonald Jacob, Stuary Young Minister in the Office of the PM, Fitzgerald Hinds Nationa Security Minister, Colm Imbert Finance Minister, Udecott CEO Tamica Charles-Phillips, Udecott Chairman Noel Garcia, Alderman Joel Martinez Mayor of Port of Spain and Councillor Abena Hartley,
Official opening of the St Clair Police Station, ribbon cutting and tour of the facility.
St Clair Police Station, Serpentine Road, St Clair Port of Spain.
Friday, July 8, 2022. – ROGER JACOB

While he is aware of the need for the police to demonstrate proper restraint, the Prime Minister has called on parents to show greater accountability when raising their children so they can avoid a life of crime.

Dr Rowley made the remarks at the official opening of the St Clair Police Station, Serpentine Road, in which he noted the tragedy families face when their loved ones were killed in police-involved shootings.

He said in reflecting on the aftermath of these incidents, all police shootings could have been avoided either through better training for the police or better parenting of those who were confronted by the police.

Recalling his experiences visiting primary schools, Rowley said children at that age usually had such innocence, but noted that their behaviour becomes more concerning as they enter secondary school.

He said the trend was worrying and urged parents to be prepared to call out their children’s bad behaviour and take action before it was too late.

“I want to ask parents who know that your progeny is at risk, because you know what they’re doing and many of you know that the outcome could be great harm, do not be guilty of having not done what you could have done.

“Even if it is a conversation with your son or daughter to tell them ‘What you are engaged in is not only unlawful but it risks all of us in the family, in the community and the nation.’”

Referring to the government’s efforts to deal with crime at different levels, including the construction of more police stations and better training for police, Rowley said efforts will also be made to tackle the root causes of crime by understanding why children appeared to fall into more anti-social behaviours in their teenage years.

He said he felt a lack of parenting was a factor in this change.

“I can come to a conclusion now, before I am advised, that a significant portion of the difficulty in this country is poor parenting.

“If you are a parent in this country, or a guardian and you’re responsible for young people, I want you today, if you heard what I said, to quietly reflect on whether you really think that you are discharging your responsibility to your neighbourhood, to your family and to the nation as you parent that boy or girl.

“And if the answer is no and you’re not doing what you should be doing, I am asking you today to assume that responsibility.”

Rowley also called on young people themselves to take responsibility and avoid situations where they may get into trouble, and use their time to improve themselves.

He also called on the protective services, particularly the police, to take their duties seriously and use extreme caution when approaching different situations.

Rowley noted that over the years guns had become an essential part of a police officer’s tool kit and was a reflection of the dangers they faced while on the job. But he also stressed the need for them to be responsible when using their weapons.

“I’ve said over and over to the coast guard, to the defence force and the police service, if there are people who have found themselves into the ranks of the uniformed officers and they are not measuring up to the standards that are set, and that is expected by the population, get them out.

“Because if you don’t get them out, it is quite possible they will end up as the Commissioner of Police.

“These are duties that require an extra concern on the part of the citizen that wears this uniform and carries this firearm, an extra bit of responsibility knowing that you do it on behalf of others, and the law that authorises you expects that you will be extraordinarily careful so that when issues arise you can have the trust of the population that the circumstances must have warranted it.”

He added that the police had an obligation to build trust with the communities they protect.

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Campaigners have hailed a ruling by Antigua and Barbuda’s high court declaring the country’s law criminalising same-sex acts between consenting adults unconstitutional. The court handed down the ruling on Tuesday in response to a case filed by a gay man and two rights groups. According to the ruling, the law contravened constitutionally guaranteed rights to […]
This article Court Rules Antigua’s Ban On Same-Sex Acts Unconstitutional appeared first on St. Lucia Times News.

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Attorney General Dale Marshall is appealing to all Barbadians to join the fight in eradicating criminal activity in Barbados.

During a press conference held this afternoon at Government Headquarters, Bay Street St Michael, the Attorney General affirmed that Government has implemented several measures to arrest communities in crisis.

“You will note that Government is doing a lot of heavy lifting with the measures that we have put in place, you’ve seen them, you’ve heard us talk about them. We’re trying to rescue our communities and these responses will go long way but we have to acknowledge that until we take a significant personal effort in dealing with our own families in our own communities, we will find that in another twenty years we will be back to square one.”

“All of the solutions do not lie with government intervention. The first intervenors are ourselves and if we applicate that responsibility and decide that we’re going to leave the safety of our streets to the police service and to the government then that is not the solution,” said the Attorney General.

Marshall contended Government is determined to ensure the safety of Barbadians, but there should also be a national effort by all citizens.

“We are committed, we are absolutely determined to ensure the safety of Barbadians and if I can remind you during COVID we adopted a whole of country approach. Everybody had a stake in this we had to protect ourselves, we had to protect our families and our neighbours and collectively, we were able to protect our country. We have to accept that dealing with firearm crimes requires a similar approach, a whole of country approach, not a whole of government approach.”

“Governments do not raise children. It is plain and simple. Governments do not live in communities, we do.”

He added: “The government is committed to doing its part but I call on all Barbadians to recognize that with all the work that government does if each of us does not recognize that we have a significant role to play in rooting out some of these challenges, then we will get nowhere.”

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Basseterre, St. Kitts, July 8, 2022 (DPP) — The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has reported that Orvis Pogson was convicted by a unanimous jury for the double murder of sisters Naomi Finch and Jimmyliah Finch, which took place on March 1, 2018.

According to the DPP, After the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict on counts 1 and 2 (murder) His Lordship Justice Morley ordered a presentence report and victim impact statement in preparation for his sentence on October 10, 2022.

On April 12, 2022, Pogson pleaded guilty to manslaughter but the Director of Public Prosecutions did not accept the guilty plea of manslaughter and the matter proceeded to trial, where he was convicted for the double murder.

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