Barbados Faces Rising Violence and Societal Decay: Causes and Warning Signs Revealed

Barbadians have been jolted out of their self-encased cocoon where they lulled themselves into believing that mass gun attacks and multiple murders would not happen here.

The horrific gun attack in a Nelson Street, Bridgetown bar in the early hours of Saturday morning that left three patrons dead and eight others injured is the manifestation of a situation that has been developing over several years.

The changing value system, the gun culture of the United States that has been exported across the hemisphere, dysfunctional family situations, widespread use of marijuana among teens and young adults, academic underachievement, high youth unemployment, and overcrowding in too many poor households are all significant contributory factors to the situation the island is now facing.

Sociologists and other experts in the area have warned that many signs of societal decay and stress were being displayed and at some point, the chickens would come home to roost.

Violence has been on the rise in our schools where, many have argued, the application of discipline has been so watered down that children no longer see the need to adhere to instructions because there are little or no consequences.

President of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) Mary Redman issued this ominous warning in a June 2023 interview with this publication.

“The BSTU is of the firm belief that the time has long gone for parents to be held accountable for the actions of their children. The present punishment used by schools against indiscipline, disorder and violence does not work. They mean nothing to the students too, because they mean nothing to their parents. There is no reinforcement at the level of the home,” Redman pointed out.

She added: “The punishments are largely ineffective. . . and we have a whole cohort, therefore, of young people who are not associating consequences to any of their actions. We are also seeing that playing out in the types of violence, disorder and disregard for law and authority in the wider society.”

While we understand the value of encouragement and administering discipline with love, there is nothing wrong with engendering a little fear of the consequences of bad actions.

We are forced to admit that parenting has become extremely challenging in an age of social media. So many Barbadian children who have the misfortune of growing up in less-than-ideal circumstances at home require a greater investment in attention and patience to keep them on a positive path.

Ordinary citizens certainly wish members of the Barbados Police Service well in their efforts to bring those responsible for the relentless bloodshed to justice.

Commissioner of Police Richard Boyce has articulated a multipronged response, but one that is heavy on decisiveness and firmness. He has also warned against the increasing practice of some members of the public intruding in the middle of police action without knowing the full circumstances of some arrests and apprehensions.

“The level of firearms in the country is alarming, and we must take decisive action to address this threat,” Commissioner Boyce told the media over the weekend.

He also made it clear that the police and the Barbados Defence Force were ramping up joint operations, increasing their presence in high-crime areas, and adopting a zero-tolerance approach towards illegal activity.

At the same time, we must acknowledge that simply jailing those persons will not result in an end to the violence. We are calling on the government to also ramp up its efforts to engage American authorities to try to stem the flow of illegal arms into the island.

The Barbados Police Service must also demonstrate that they are not only going after the immature, easily influenced, low-information youngsters on the blocks but they must also go after those with the means and access to import firearms into this country

More importantly, all those who call Barbados home must commit to working together to produce effective and sustainable peace in this country.