Christmas 2024 should be a safe one.
That is the hope of the Barbados Police Service, which will have an extra 400 law enforcement officers available for the next few weeks, right up to December 25, and even into the first few days of 2025.
Commissioner of Police Richard Boyce said the overall number of officers could swell past 400 on weekends.
“We asked our officers to volunteer for special duty outside their shifts for Operation Yuletide and the response has been good so far. It has been happening and the increased numbers will see well over 400 officers making themselves available. On weekends it should go higher,” the Commissioner said in an exclusive interview by telephone link-up from Miami, Florida, recently.
Operation Yuletide is usually concentrated around Bridgetown, but the top cop revealed that this year additional patrols would be highly visible in the Southern and Northern Divisions. Patrols, he said, would also be spread as far inland as Warrens and the nearby The Walk shopping area long Welches, St Thomas.
The Commissioner said that due to the level of violent crime in 2024, the Police Service felt it necessary to spread protection of the public during the Christmas period away from the bustle of Broad Street and Swan Street as well.
Along with those extra 400 cops on patrol, the Police Service will again have members of the Barbados Defence Force to supplement their numbers in several areas as part of Operation Yuletide.
“Operation Yuletide is being executed this year with the objective of preventing criminal activity and anti-social behaviour which can have a negative impact on citizens and the thousands of visitors who will be on the island to enjoy this festive season. The operation will be islandwide this year,” Boyce said.
“We want to provide a quality of policing which would reassure our citizens that their well-being is looked after. The visibility of the police in conjunction and tandem with the BDF and our strategising should offer calmness to the populace,” he assured.
Boyce revealed several hotspots were identified where events would be held over the holiday period, adding that the police intend to engage with sponsors and promoters to ensure the safety of patrons.
“We have identified the places where anti-social events are most likely to occur and we will be highly visible and active in those locations,” he told a Nation team. “We will be both mobile and on foot in those areas.”
He emphasised that heavily trafficked areas like Bridgetown, Warrens and Sheraton Mall in Christ Church would draw special attention, as well as Speightstown.
“We want to ensure people can go about doing their shopping and errands safely,” Boyce said. “Those heavily trafficked areas will be given special attention because of the opportunities which will be presented for criminal acts such as robberies or simple theft. It is our intention to stop those acts from occurring.”
He added that special priority would be placed on places of entertainment and the people involved in event planning.
“Those organisers will be engaged and educated about various interventions they could employ to prevent criminal activity or civil fall-out,” Boyce said.
The Commissioner added that the police’s Crime Prevention Officer Inspector Roger Babb and his support staff would be very active in the public domain and in the media to help people avoid becoming victims of crime.
The post Extra 400 on the beat appeared first on nationnews.com.