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Barbados is set to enact sweeping new legislation that will criminalize gang membership outright, as the Caribbean nation ramps up its crackdown on organized criminal activity. The Criminal Gangs (Prevention and Control) Bill, introduced to the House of Assembly by Attorney General Wilfred Abrahams on Friday, sends an uncompromising warning to anyone linked to criminal gangs: prison time is guaranteed for violators of the new law.

“Jail, jail, jail is what awaits you if you belong to or associate with a gang,” Abrahams told legislators, emphasizing that the proposed legislation casts a broad net to capture not just core gang leaders, but anyone who actively affiliates with these criminal groups. “The government is dropping the hammer on gangs. The government is taking back control of Barbados.” Under the bill, even public displays of gang affiliation will count as admissible evidence in court. Abrahams specifically called out social media posts, noting that anyone who shares photos posing with gang signs on platforms like Instagram opens themselves up to criminal charges. “People now need to think twice about belonging to a gang. Very soon, belonging to a gang will be a stand-alone criminal offence in this country,” he added.

To avoid misapplication of the law, Abrahams clarified the carefully drafted definition of a gang that was refined through extensive negotiations during the bill’s drafting process. Under the legislation, a gang is defined as any formal or informal grouping of three or more people organized to carry out criminal activity. The attorney general stressed that the law does not target groups of ordinary friends gathering for social purposes, and the sole determining factor for classification is ongoing participation in criminal activity.

The bill sets out exceptionally strict mandatory minimum prison sentences to underscore the government’s zero-tolerance approach. Even basic gang membership or harboring a gang member carries a starting minimum sentence of 10 years behind bars, while more serious offenses draw penalties ranging from 15 to 35 years. Special provisions have been included to account for family relationships and maturity levels: parents, guardians and teachers acting in loco parentis will not be penalized for their natural relationships with minors who may be involved with gangs. While courts retain limited discretion to adjust mandatory minimum sentences for minors convicted under the law, that flexibility is heavily restricted, especially in cases involving the recruitment of children into gangs.

Recruiting a minor into a gang carries harsher penalties than recruiting an adult, with sentences ranging from 10 to 25 years in prison. If the recruitment takes place on school grounds, at a place of worship, or within 500 meters of either location, the mandatory penalty jumps to between 15 and 25 years. The only exception to these mandatory minimums applies when the recruiter is also a minor, Abrahams explained.

The legislation also expands the scope of evidence that can be used to prove gang affiliation, including self-admissions, assistance with gang activities, concealment of evidence, sharing of criminal proceeds, and public statements made on behalf of the gang. Anyone who hides weapons, disposes of evidence, or holds proceeds from gang crimes can also be prosecuted under the bill. Addressing widespread community concerns that residents of high-crime neighborhoods would be unfairly profiled as gang members based solely on their address, Abrahams confirmed the bill explicitly prohibits residence in a specific community from being used as evidence of gang membership. “We’re not targeting anybody based on where you live. We are targeting you based on what you do,” he said.

Additional offenses covered by the bill include counseling, financing, or otherwise supporting gang criminal activity, which carry penalties of up to 25 years. Abrahams addressed concerns from the legal community, clarifying that legitimate legal representation for clients will remain protected, but anyone who facilitates gang criminal activity under the guise of legal work will be prosecuted. The bill also criminalizes tipping off gang members about upcoming police investigations, with penalties ranging from 10 to 25 years in prison for obstruction of justice.

Retaliatory violence against witnesses, a common feature of gang-related conflict popularly referenced by the phrase “snitches get stitches,” is also targeted with harsh punishment. Anyone who retaliates against a cooperating witness faces between 15 and 30 years in prison. For law enforcement, the bill expands pre-charge detention powers, allowing police to hold suspects without a warrant for up to 72 hours, with extensions requiring judicial approval. It also introduces special protective measures for judges, magistrates, prosecutors, and jurors involved in gang prosecutions, who face elevated risks of retaliation. Threatening a judicial officer or juror carries the highest mandatory minimum sentence under the law, between 20 and 30 years imprisonment. Suspects charged under the bill will also be ineligible for bail in magistrate’s court, mirroring existing rules for firearms offenses, and must apply for bail directly to the High Court.

Responding to critics who argue the bill prioritizes punishment over rehabilitation, Abrahams countered that the government has already invested heavily in diversion programs to steer young people away from crime, pointing to existing initiatives including the Chapman Challenge, peacebuilding programs, microfinance trust loans, and skills training. He emphasized that the purpose of this legislation is not to replace those rehabilitation efforts, but to send a clear message that gang activity will not be tolerated. “This legislation is intended to protect our communities and restore public confidence in our ability to keep citizens safe,” Abrahams said.

On Friday, the Mia Mottley administration tabled a far-reaching new anti-gang bill in Barbados’ House of Assembly, marking a decisive policy push to reverse a surge in gun-related violence and break up transnational criminal networks operating across the island nation.

Michael Lashley, Barbados’ Minister of Legal Affairs and Criminal Justice, formally introduced the Criminal Gangs (Prevention and Control) Bill to lawmakers, framing the new legislation as a direct response to an alarming uptick in gun violence and retaliatory violent offenses disproportionately involving young Barbadians.

Lashley outlined that the bill was crafted after extensive policy research, drawing on successful frameworks for similar anti-gang laws already implemented across fellow Caribbean nations Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and The Bahamas. The drafting process also included broad consultation with legal stakeholders, including the national Bar Association, practicing attorneys, and community members who have been directly impacted by gang-related crime. This outreach directly refutes claims that the government rushed the legislation forward without sufficient public and expert input, Lashley emphasized.

Prior to drafting, research conducted by the Criminal Justice Research and Planning Unit confirmed the urgent need for targeted anti-gang legislation, he told parliament. The unit’s on-the-ground research among inmates at Dodds Prison found clear evidence of embedded gang activity in the correctional system, with young male detainees and incarcerated people reporting they joined gangs at early ages, maintained close ties to active gang networks outside prison, or had directly participated in gang-linked criminal activity.

The new bill is also aligned with a broader regional commitment by Caribbean community leaders to coordinate cross-border action against organized gang activity, Lashley noted. Gangs operate seamlessly across Caribbean national boundaries, he explained, making a unified “One Caribbean” approach to combating transnational criminal networks a critical priority for Barbados and its neighbors.

Addressing widespread public and opposition concerns that the legislation could lead to unfair targeting of marginalized communities, Lashley stressed that the bill includes explicit safeguards to prevent discriminatory enforcement. Under the text of the proposed law, a person’s neighborhood of residence, family background, or regular social gathering spots cannot be used as sole evidence to prove gang association or involvement in gang-related criminal activity.

Lashley framed the proposed legislation as clear proof of the current administration’s unwavering commitment to upholding citizen security, public safety, and the rule of law in Barbados. “This government is serious about citizen security and public safety,” he said. “We are willing to confront gang networks and criminal networks in this country frontally, and we will not back away.”

He noted that the bill’s harsh proposed penalties are designed to act as a strong deterrent for all those involved in gang activity, targeting not only high-level gang leaders and active members, but also third parties who knowingly conceal gang-related criminal operations.

In response to calls from the opposition Democratic Labour Party to add provisions targeting unexplained wealth linked to gang activity, Lashley pointed to existing national proceeds of crime legislation that already covers this objective. A civil asset recovery fund, already established under current law, will enable prosecutors to pursue any illicit wealth generated by gang activity once a conviction is secured under the new anti-gang bill, if it is passed into law, he explained.

Additional key provisions of the bill include formal protections for jurors, judges, law enforcement officers, and other court personnel involved in prosecuting high-stakes gang-related cases.

Even as the government advances this new legislation, Lashley acknowledged that new laws alone cannot resolve Barbados’ ongoing challenges with violent crime. The anti-gang bill is only one component of the administration’s broader, multi-pronged criminal justice reform agenda, he explained, which already includes delivered reforms such as expanding the number of active criminal judges and prosecutors, amending the national Firearms Act, and updating the Bail Act to streamline violent crime prosecutions.

Lashley also disclosed that a full slate of additional crime-fighting bills is already drafted and ready for parliamentary debate in the coming months. These upcoming legislative proposals include a bill to establish specialized gun courts, new domestic terrorism legislation, and an updated Evidence Amendment Bill, he confirmed.

Alongside legislative and enforcement action, Lashley emphasized that long-term crime prevention programs targeting at-risk youth remain the central pillar of the government’s overall strategy. Gang leaders deliberately target vulnerable young populations, he explained: unemployed youth, young people from dysfunctional or at-risk households, teens struggling with substance abuse, and adolescents with limited access to quality education.

Data from pre-sentence reports in existing criminal cases consistently shows that warning signs of future violent offending emerge years before a person commits a serious offense, Lashley noted. Many high-risk offenders faced behavioral challenges at school, early drug involvement, and unstable home environments as early as ages 11 to 13, but lacked targeted early intervention to steer them away from criminal activity. He expressed confidence that the Ministry of Education Transformation and other national social agencies will continue expanding evidence-based early intervention programs to support vulnerable families and communities before young people become involved in crime.

Finally, Lashley called for a fully holistic approach to national crime policy that includes dedicated support for victims of violent crime and their families, a group that is often overlooked in policy discussions focused on offenders. “Sometimes we focus on the accused, and what measures we can put in place to help them and their family,” he said. “But we also have to look at the victim and the victim’s family. The anger that comes from losing a loved one can manifest in harmful ways, so we must center their needs in a holistic approach to crime prevention.”

Key provisions of the proposed Criminal Gangs (Prevention and Control) Bill include: creating new, specific criminal offenses for gang membership, leadership, and supporting activities that are currently not defined under Barbados law; stiff deterrent penalties for gang-related offending; the use of existing proceeds of crime laws and the established civil asset recovery fund to seize illicit gang-linked wealth; explicit anti-discrimination safeguards to prevent unfair community targeting; court-side protections for justice system personnel involved in gang cases; and expanded investigative powers for law enforcement to disrupt gang operations.

Barbados’ government has launched an ambitious full-scale transformation project for the aging Consett Bay fishing facility, reimagining the outdated site as a modern, multi-functional hub that integrates commercial fishing operations, public recreation, and cultural activity. The project will center both international technical guidance and local community feedback to shape the final design, marking a major shift from past piecemeal maintenance work to a complete overhaul of the site.

Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw, who also serves as Minister of the Environment and National Beautification, confirmed the government’s new approach during a public community forum, where local residents shared decades of frustrations with the facility’s current inefficiencies and failing infrastructure. One of the most vocal contributors was Paul Standard, a Martins Bay resident with direct experience working around the site’s limitations, who detailed the grueling daily challenges fisherfolk face under the current layout.

Standard explained that fisherfolk currently rely on manual labor and outdated wheelbarrows to transport heavy catches from the end of the jetty up an inclined path to the market, navigating a confusing, awkward layout that requires multiple turns to reach the sales floor. To cut down on wasted time and physical strain, he proposed a simple but impactful reconfiguration: moving the market’s main entrance to face directly onto the jetty, and installing an electric tram system to move catches and supplies automatically. This system would not only speed up fish transfers but also allow the tram to return to service other vessels immediately, eliminating the long waits that come with manual wheelbarrow trips, and can even be used to transport heavy ice bags back to waiting fishing boats.

Beyond layout inefficiencies, Standard highlighted critical failing infrastructure that impacts both fisherfolk and local small vendors. The facility’s existing ice machine is outdated and constantly on the brink of failure, he said, noting that it serves not just commercial fishermen but also local snow cone vendors and snack sellers that operate at community events like funerals and fairs. The current ice storage unit, which he described as a tiny 4-by-4 foot box, is far too small to meet daily demand. Standard closed his remarks by expressing cautious optimism, saying he placed faith in the new minister to deliver meaningful change that addresses longstanding unmet needs.

Bradshaw directly responded to these concerns at the forum, reassuring attendees that community feedback will be a core guiding force for all architectural and design decisions. She shared that recent site visits with local MP Charles Griffith confirmed that the facility required far more work than initial assessments suggested, and that the site’s unique coastal location makes it ideal for a mixed-use development beyond just a working fish market.

“Consett Bay to me lends itself to being developed as a space for recreation, for culture, for fisheries. The transformation that I see in that space for me is phenomenal,” Bradshaw said.

To deliver a best-in-class upgrade, the government has turned to global leaders in fisheries infrastructure for technical support. Bradshaw revealed that the administration has already held discussions with the Japanese ambassador to secure targeted technical assistance for the project, noting that Japan is widely recognized as the global gold standard for sustainable, efficient fisheries infrastructure.

The partnership with Japan will specifically prioritize two of the most pressing needs raised by local residents: replacing the outdated ice machine and expanding cold storage capacity for freshly landed catches. Meanwhile, a private sector engineering firm is already finalizing designs for upgrades to the facility’s jetty, which will be shared with the local community for additional feedback before construction begins.

The government’s broader vision for the site addresses multiple longstanding design flaws that have held back economic activity. Currently, vendor stalls are tucked away in hidden ocean-side locations that casual visitors cannot easily find, leading many tourists and locals to leave without stopping to shop. To fix this, the ministry will rework the processing hall’s windows and layout to bring vendor operations into more visible, accessible spaces.

Accessibility is another core priority of the redevelopment. Currently, the entire facility only has one road in and out, creating major traffic and safety challenges. Bradshaw confirmed that the project includes plans to add a second access road to create separate entrance and exit routes, improving flow for vehicles and pedestrians. The National Conservation Commission has already begun preliminary site work, carrying out clearing and beautification across the property, and the government is in the process of acquiring adjacent land to expand public parking. Upgrades will also include new public lighting and fully renovated public restroom facilities to make the space comfortable for recreational visitors as well as working fisherfolk.