Barbados rolls out public education drive on penalties for harbouring fugitives and gang members

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Authorities in Barbados have begun a fresh public education push to make residents aware of the legal consequences they face when they shelter fugitives or gang members.

The Ministry of Legal Affairs and Criminal Justice said the initiative forms part of a broader Crime Prevention Programme. It kicked off with the release of two public service announcements.

The first, titled "Hiding Them Will Cost You," focuses on the risks of harbouring fugitives. The second, "Gran is Not Going to Prison," deals specifically with sheltering gang members.

Legal Affairs and Criminal Justice Minister Michael Lashley said one announcement outlines general penalties for harbouring fugitives, while the other targets provisions under the recently enacted Criminal Gangs Act. That law carries what he described as "very strong" penalties for harbouring gang members and for people who recruit others into gangs.

"Now, I want to say that there will be a wider national education programme with respect to crime prevention, and this will involve reaching out to the schools, community engagement and other service clubs. Of course, we need to have all players involved that touch and concern the Crime Prevention Programme...."

"We have now to reach out to the public, engage the public, and one of the best ways of reaching out to the public is not using the traditional media but to use other forms, particularly whether you call it WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, whatever, to reach persons. And this is the first start of the engagement of community persons because we are using community persons who played a very important part in the development of these two PSAs," Lashley said.

The minister said he hoped Barbadians would see the announcements as more than warnings, viewing them instead as prompts for wider public involvement in tackling crime.

"Yes, in some instances you will be loyal, but you can't let loyalty bring you into breach of the law, and that is why the Criminal Gangs Act places a specific provision in relation to relationships, and that if these relationships redound to punishment, the relationship would also act as a mitigating factor, but it's still an offence," the Legal Affairs Minister said.

Lashley also expressed confidence in the new Commissioner of Police as officers work with communities. He stressed that enforcement alone would not resolve the issue and that officials must connect with residents, including young people at risk of entering the criminal justice system.

"Persons who are young, vulnerable, who might not be part of the criminal justice system but might be vulnerable to leaders, gang leaders, and drug leaders, and that we must go at the other end and say, 'You know what, let us get the positive community leaders to be involved in this Crime Prevention Programme.' So, I want to endorse the PSAs, and I look forward to working with all community groups, all the law enforcement agencies, in this fight against crime," Lashley said.