分类： politics

Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne has exposed a critical breakdown in the government’s national crime-fighting strategy, revealing that multiple local police stations — including the high-traffic Grays Farm facility — have been ignoring a mandatory 24-hour operating order and closing their doors as early as 10 p.m. each night. The prime minister made the revelation during his weekly public radio address, noting he only recently learned of the widespread non-compliance that had gone undetected by senior leadership for some time.

The 24-hour operational mandate was first rolled out as a core pillar of the administration’s aggressive response to rising violent crime across the island nation. Browne’s public confirmation of early closures confirms that the policy has yet to be fully enforced across all precincts, leaving vulnerable communities unprotected during high-risk overnight hours.

In a sharp rebuke of the non-compliant practice, Browne emphasized that police stations must remain accessible around the clock, and that officers should be out conducting proactive patrols and surveillance rather than waiting passively inside station walls for crime reports to arrive. “They’re supposed to be having regular surveillance, taking the fight to the criminals and making their lives uncomfortable,” he told listeners, framing proactive policing as the only effective way to curb ongoing criminal activity.

The prime minister also outlined a series of new targeted deployments to address persistent crime hot spots across the country, naming Grays Farm, Point, Villa, and Green Bay as priority areas for additional officer staffing. He specified that patrols in these zones should combine foot and vehicle mobile units, and all officers assigned to these duties should carry firearms for their safety and to deter criminal action. Browne argued that a consistent, highly visible law enforcement presence is the most effective tool to disrupt criminal plots before they escalate into violent incidents.

Drawing on his own experience in opposition politics, Browne recalled a past collaborative initiative with local law enforcement to set up persistent surveillance in a known high-crime area, noting that the increased presence immediately pushed open illegal activity off the streets and made criminal operations far harder to sustain.

To back up the new crime-fighting push, the Antigua and Barbuda government is also investing in new infrastructure and technology for police: it has already delivered additional patrol vehicles to precincts, and formal plans are in place to acquire specialized night-vision surveillance drones within the next 60 days. Browne confirmed the drones will have an operational range of roughly 25 kilometers, and can be controlled directly from local police stations or national police headquarters to extend surveillance coverage across remote and high-risk areas.

Notably, the prime minister stopped short of announcing any disciplinary action against officers or commanders responsible for the early closures at non-compliant stations, and declined to name any additional precincts beyond Grays Farm that have failed to follow the 24-hour operating mandate.

In a controversial public appearance over the weekend, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne has brought explosive unsubstantiated allegations against segments of the country’s legal and judicial community, claiming improper personal ties between some lawyers and sitting judges have opened the door to inappropriate influence over judicial outcomes.

Speaking during his regular broadcast program, the *Browne and Browne Show*, this past Saturday, Browne laid out specific claims about off-the-clock interactions between legal practitioners and members of the judiciary. He asserted that some lawyers regularly make private visits to judges’ personal residences, where they share alcoholic beverages — including rum and whiskey — building social connections that he argues allow these attorneys to sway judicial decisions to some degree.

Notably, the prime minister stopped short of naming any of the lawyers or judges he referenced in his remarks, and he offered no concrete documentary or testimonial evidence to back up the serious allegations during the on-air address.

Browne’s accusations are the latest development in an ongoing public campaign he has waged against the sentencing practices the Antigua and Barbuda judicial system currently uses for violent and sexual offenses. For weeks, the prime minister has publicly argued that a subset of judicial officers hand down excessively lenient sentences that fail to match the gravity of serious crimes, sparking heated debate over the separation of powers between the government and the country’s independent judiciary.

To address what he frames as a systemic failing, Browne confirmed Saturday that the governing administration intends to table legislation introducing mandatory minimum sentences for a slate of specified offences when the national parliament convenes for its next session in October.

The prime minister has repeatedly pushed back against critics who argue his public criticism of judicial sentencing amounts to inappropriate interference in active individual cases. He maintains that his goal is not to meddle in specific ongoing matters before the courts, but rather to apply broad public pressure on the justice system to adopt tougher, more proportionate sentencing practices that align with public concern over serious crime.

A high-profile political controversy has emerged in Antigua and Barbuda, where Prime Minister Gaston Browne has publicly announced he is exploring legal options against Gisele Isaac, chair of the country’s main opposition United Progressive Party, over an article he claims carries defamatory content.\n\nBrowne made the announcement during an appearance on his own weekly broadcast, the Browne and Browne Show, this past Saturday. The prime minister detailed that the contentious article written by Isaac directly linked him and his cabinet to illegal money laundering activity, quoting the piece as claiming that “the Cabinet and Gaston Browne will get back to its usual job of laundering money.”\n\nStrongly pushing back against the damaging accusation, Browne issued a flat denial of any involvement in money laundering or any form of corrupt practice. He emphasized that Isaac has failed to produce any credible evidence to back up the serious claim, and warned opposition figures against targeting him with unsubstantiated corruption labels. \n\n“When they’re using the word corruption, use generic terms. Don’t put my name in there, otherwise I’m going to sue you,” Browne stated in a clear warning to political opponents.\n\nOutlining his next steps, the prime minister explained that he plans to first track down a full copy of the article, consult with advisers to confirm whether the statement meets the legal definition of defamation, and then pass the materials to his legal team to pursue formal action. “I’m going to try and find it,” he said. “You all can advise me if it’s defamatory, and we’ll just send it to my lawyer.”\n\nAs of Saturday’s announcement, Browne has not confirmed that a lawsuit has already been filed with the courts. Additionally, Isaac has not yet made any public statement in response to Browne’s comments and the threat of legal action, leaving the political community waiting for the opposition chair’s side of the exchange.

A concerned citizen has issued a stark warning to Antigua and Barbuda’s main opposition United Progressive Party (UPP): immediate, comprehensive internal restructuring is non-negotiable, or the party will consign incumbent Prime Minister Gaston Browne to at least two more terms in office.

In an open letter to the editor, the writer questions the strategic direction of the UPP following its recent general election performance, pointing out a critical misstep in the party’s post-poll approach. Many political observers and grassroots stakeholders expected the UPP to launch immediate organizational overhauls the moment election results were finalized, but the party has yet to demonstrate the urgent action the writer says is required.

At the heart of the citizen’s critique is the need for a robust, unified leadership team that can earn back public trust. The letter argues that election victories are not built in the final months before voting begins; instead, long-term groundwork — laid through consistent, strong leadership, streamlined internal organization, vetted credible candidates, and a clear policy platform that offers a tangible alternative to the incumbent government — is the only foundation for electoral success.

Reflecting on the most recent general election, the writer notes that the Pringle-led UPP entered the race visibly unprepared to assume national governance, a weakness that was clearly reflected in the final poll results. The citizen contends that the electorate made the correct call in that contest, given the opposition’s lack of readiness.

Moving forward, the warning remains clear: unless the UPP openly confronts its organizational and leadership shortcomings and implements substantive, meaningful changes, voters will once again draw the same conclusion. Even with widespread frustrations over Browne’s administration, the electorate will not back an opposition that fails to prove it is a credible alternative capable of leading the country.

The UPP now faces a defining choice: commit to the hard work of restructuring to position itself as a serious contender for government, or accept its current role as a permanent opposition bloc content to stay out of power.