At a Youth Sunday gathering hosted by Whitepark Wesleyan Holiness Church earlier this week, top law enforcement official Adrian Broomes delivered a compelling call to action to Barbados’ younger generation, urging them to push back against harmful external influences and guard against exploitation by adults who seek to use minors for criminal enterprise.
The event, held under the unifying theme “Come to Yourself,” drew a diverse crowd of young attendees, including a contingent from the Barbados Cadet Corps. Broomes, who serves as Deputy Commissioner of Police, emphasized to the crowd that independent critical thinking and intentional decision-making are the strongest tools young people have to protect their long-term life trajectories.
In blunt remarks highlighting a growing troubling trend in Barbados, Broomes warned that criminal actors are deliberately targeting minors to carry out illegal acts, operating under the dangerous assumption that children will receive more lenient legal punishment than adult offenders.
“From my vantage point as Deputy Commissioner, I can confirm that there are adults out there manipulating children to do their dirty work, because they believe that even if a child is arrested and incarcerated, they will be released quickly. What these predators ignore is that they are destroying the futures of these young people forever,” Broomes stated.
Beyond warning against exploitation by criminal adults, Broomes also pressed young attendees to resist pervasive peer pressure that pushes many into dangerous lifestyles and causes them to abandon their core values. Even in an era increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence, he argued, young people must stay rooted in their authentic selves rather than conforming to harmful trends.
“Artificial intelligence has a way of normalizing the fake, the inauthentic, the imposter. My message to you today is simple: don’t be fake. Be who you really are, and stay true to your values,” he said.
Broomes reminded the youth that real courage means stepping away from the crowd when the crowd is heading down a harmful path, rather than blindly following along to fit in. He also reserved special praise for the Barbados Cadet Corps, whose members he described as “jewels” and “flowers” among their peers for their commitment to upholding high personal and community standards.
Closing his remarks, Broomes encouraged all young Barbadians to take full ownership of their own futures and reject outside attempts to control their choices. “Don’t let anyone else write your story for you. This is your life, your journey. You have to stand up for yourself,” he said, adding that young people should celebrate their individuality, because their unique differences are what make them who they are.