Review event security

THE Caribbean Association of Safety and Security Professionals (CASP) has expressed concern about the policing of major events in this country, and is calling for a review of that process with the view of utilising more electronic security solutions.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday at the Career Development Institute, Chairman of the CASP Oral Reid, reflecting on the gun-related incident on Kadooment Day which left one dead and several innocent persons nursing injuries at the culmination of the Crop Over festivities, maintained that such reckless behaviour has shown the need for the policing of such events to move beyond just the use of police officers. Reid, a former law enforcement officer, maintained there is a growing need to embrace aspects of electronic security solutions, which would see the deployment of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras and other devices at strategic points, especially when it is recognised that the event is likely to attract thousands of persons.

“I believe that if there’d been cameras deployed in the areas identified, we might have been in a position to identify the perpetrators of these acts. I am therefore calling for a review of the manner in which these events, national events are policed. We recognise that it would have implications for cost, but I think in the final analysis, cost should fade in significance compared to the provision of a safe and secure environment for patrons, especially where those patrons are drawn from across and around the world,” he contended.

He added, “We recognise tourism as very important to Barbados and I think that significant steps ought to be taken to make sure that we provide for persons who are residents of Barbados, but also those that will be visiting Barbados, recognising the significant efforts that have been made in recent times by our tourism sector.”

With that in mind, he added that CASP and local security firms can also play a role in maintaining law and order at mass events. He explained that the precedent for that was set when the Barbados and the region hosted Cricket World Cup 2007. He indicated that at that time, there was collaboration between a number of private security agencies and the police, and he added there was also a heavy deployment of CCTV solutions along the highways and other critical areas.

“So why are we deviating from these things? The template is there from 2007; we utilised it, I feel it can work again,” he affirmed.

Questioned then about whether there was a role that the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) could play, Vice Chairman of the Barbados Chapter of CASP, Wendell Cumberbatch, said while our soldiers can assist in maintaining safety and security and beefing up law enforcement numbers, they must be a last resort. He made it clear that any intervention has to come from the police and private security first.

“The Defence Force is not set up to do that, they are not set up to do policing functions. Other territories in which crime has spiralled out of control, use their local defence forces to supplement the policing of the state … but primarily persons would not want to do that,” he said.

To that end, both CASP officials said that Barbados has always sought to use the BDF’s services sparingly, only on special occasions, and the soldiers are always accompanied by a police officer. (JRT)