REVEREND Paul Leacock says there is enough intelligence in Barbados to address the vexing issue of the increasing number of illegal guns coming into the island.
Leacock, of the First Baptist Church, Constitution Road, The City, said while Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite, and law enforcement authorities have reported in the press that the influx of guns is directly associated with drugs, he asked, “When was the last time that we have seen an aggressive effort to deal with the guns at the border?”
“Why are we not dealing with the fact, as reported in the press, that it is clear that there are transactions on the high seas that causes these drugs and these guns to come into the country?
“Why aren’t those people being brought to justice? We have a Regional Security System that has surveillance, where is the evidence?” he queried.
Speaking to The Barbados Advocate, the Reverend made it clear that he was not of the opinion that Barbados needs help from international agencies to fight the problem. He said he believes there is adequate and well-trained intelligence to deal with the matter.
However, he did suggest that maybe Barbados needs to introduce laws that would allow for certain types of evidence to be taken to the law court.
“When we see a turn style of known drug offenders arrested on a regular basis and they come into Police custody and by morning they are out again; when persons accused of murder are brought into custody and released on bail again, what are you saying?
“Drugs cannot come into the country unknown to the public. They are coming to somebody. Drugs are detected, people are arrested and then you hear nothing more...,” he said.
The man of God said while many of those murdered this year died as a result of gunshot wounds, in his view, most of the young people who were charged for the murders, could not have acquired those guns on their own.
“They are servants. As they say in the streets, they are soldiers. Who are their captains? Our problem in Barbados is the lack of enforcement of the good laws that we have.
“When we are hearing that it’s not this body’s fault or that body’s fault and different Ministers are pointing fingers at each other, that’s not addressing the issue,” he warned. (AH)