标签： Barbados

In an exclusive report from Barbados TODAY, the nation’s police force is formally urging the Mia Mottley administration to adjust its mandatory retirement threshold to 55 years of age, arguing that sweeping shifts in local criminal dynamics make the government’s planned gradual increase of the national pensionable age to 68 by 2034 entirely unfeasible for frontline law enforcement personnel. Speaking publicly on Tuesday, Wendley Carter, president of the Police Association and acting Assistant Superintendent, outlined that the current standard pensionable age of 67, paired with the government’s upcoming staged increases to prop up the financially strained National Insurance Scheme (NIS), fails to account for the unique, life-threatening hazards modern Barbadian police officers face on a daily basis. Carter, who first joined the force in 1985, drew a stark contrast between the relatively low-risk patrol environments of his early career and the current landscape, where widespread gun proliferation and increasingly emboldened young offenders have eliminated the once-common practice of unarmed routine patrols. “Picture a 68-year-old officer physically confronting a 20-year-old suspect – the outcome is never going to favor the aging officer,” Carter emphasized, noting that the physical demands of modern policing leave no room for personnel in their late 60s to safely operate on frontline duty. The call for adjusted retirement terms comes on the heels of a formal ministerial statement delivered by Barbados’ Labour Minister Colin Jordan in the House of Assembly earlier that same day, which laid out a suite of structural reforms to stabilize the NIS social security system. The planned changes include raising the national pensionable age from 67 to 67.5 in 2028, then to 68 in 2034; increasing the minimum number of required contribution weeks to qualify for a full pension from 500 to 750; and phasing up the early pension eligibility age from 60 to 63 by 2031. Carter highlighted a stark inequity in current public service pension rules, noting that Barbados’ military personnel already operate under a separate, dedicated pension scheme that allows for full retirement at age 55 after 25 years of service, while police officers remain locked into the standard national NIS framework with no special carve-outs for their high-risk roles. While government officials have previously raised concerns that a 55 retirement age would trigger widespread staffing shortages in the constabulary, Carter pushed back on that narrative, arguing that competitive, tailored pension benefits would act as a powerful recruitment and retention tool at a time when the force is losing large numbers of young, trained officers to higher-paying roles in the civilian public and private sectors. He cited the Central Bank of Barbados, the University of the West Indies Cave Hill campus, and government security services units as top destinations for departing officers, who often leave the force within a few years of completing training to secure better compensation packages. Carter noted that the cultural shift in the workforce means that modern recruits no longer prioritize job loyalty out of a love for law enforcement alone, and that tangible financial incentives are now non-negotiable to build a stable, fully staffed police service. He confirmed that the association has already submitted its formal proposals for a separate police pension scheme to the Mottley administration via the Police Commissioner, and that negotiations are still ongoing. Carter added that the recently completed cross-public service job evaluation exercise, which included interviews with every rank of police officer from constables to senior leadership and special constables, is expected to produce regrading recommendations that formally recognize the elevated risk and unique responsibilities of police work, a development he described as a positive step toward securing better terms for personnel. The Police Association is also currently reviewing a potential expansion of its official representation scope to cover all ranks of the force, including the Police Commissioner, a change that would allow senior officers to retain their membership and leadership roles in the welfare body even after receiving promotions.

Royal Barbados Police Force officials have issued an urgent public appeal for information to help locate a 13-year-old girl who was reported missing from the St. Michael parish community of Thompson Gap, Eagle Hall. The minor, identified as Amia Pinder, was last confirmed sighted on Monday, October 26, and has not made contact with her family or returned home since that date. Law enforcement has shared detailed descriptive information to aid community members in identifying the teen: Pinder stands at four feet eight inches tall, has a slim physique, dark skin tone, and typically wears her hair styled in individual single braids. At the time she was last spotted, she was dressed in a white sleeveless blouse, blue three-quarter length denim jeans, and black casual slippers, while carrying a plain black haversack backpack. Investigators note that Amia is known to regularly spend time at the public park situated along Deacons Road in St. Michael, and are asking anyone who may have seen her in that area or elsewhere in the parish in recent days to come forward with any relevant details, no matter how small they may seem. Members of the public who hold information about Amia’s current whereabouts are encouraged to reach out immediately to officers at the Black Rock Police Station via the contact numbers 417-7500 or 417-7501, call the 24/7 Police Emergency line at 211, submit anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIPS (8477), or visit any local police station to share what they know. Authorities emphasize that timely public input is critical to ensuring the teen is located safely and reunited with her family as quickly as possible.

A male minor has been ordered into custody at Dodds Prison following formal charges connected to a disruptive incident that unfolded during the annual Breast Cancer Walk community event held on October 4. The young defendant faces a slate of five distinct criminal counts: wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, robbery, intentional criminal damage to property, common assault, and affray, a charge that refers to participating in or inciting public violent disorder that disturbs public peace. The teenager made his first scheduled court appearance on Tuesday, October 27, before Acting Magistrate Jared Richards at the District ‘A’ Traffic Court. During the brief proceeding, the court confirmed that the case was still in the early stages of evidence collation, so the defendant was not permitted to enter a plea to any of the five charges at this time. Judicial officials have formally scheduled the next procedural hearing for November 24, where the case will move forward for further status updates and potential plea entry as investigators finalize supporting evidence related to the public event incident. No bail application was granted during the initial court session, leading to the immediate remand of the underage defendant to the correctional facility ahead of the upcoming hearing.

A 51-year-old transient with no permanent address, Noel Alexander Austin, has been handed a two-month prison sentence after he targeted a small city business owner who had repeatedly offered him free food, beverages, and clothing out of goodwill, stealing nearly $1,500 worth of merchandise from the man’s property. The case was brought before the District ‘A’ Traffic Court following a sequence of events that unfolded over a weekend on Whitepark Road. The court heard that the complainant, who operates Bhana’s retail store, locked up his premises for the day at approximately 6 p.m. on a Friday. The following morning, his warehouse manager notified him that several items, including a full bicycle, an unopened cardboard box and all its contents, had vanished from the secured on-site storage shed. When the storeowner pulled security camera footage for the area, he spotted an unidentified man entering the storage facility at 3:20 a.m. that weekend and removing the stolen goods. Just one day after the theft, the storeowner noticed a man walking onto his property, immediately recognized him as the individual captured on the CCTV recording, and dialled local law enforcement. As the complainant followed him, Austin began walking directly toward the Central Police Station, before scaling a wall to enter the District ‘A’ Courts complex. Alerted by the storeowner, responding officers chased and detained Austin without further incident. During questioning, he immediately confessed to the break-in, and led officers to a location on Hunte’s Street where he had hidden the full box of stolen goods, which included hot dog storage crates, packs of disposable plastic cups, a mattress protector, and assorted underwear. He also admitted he had already sold the stolen bicycle to a third party for $20 cash, which he spent entirely on tobacco products. When he appeared in court, Austin pleaded guilty to the theft charge but pushed back against the official $1,471 valuation of the stolen merchandise, claiming the items were not worth that total sum. He explained his motive to the magistrate, stating he had approached the storeowner the day of the incident to request $20 in cash assistance, but was only given $15, a discrepancy that prompted him to break into the storage shed later that night. He added that he had not even opened the stolen cardboard box, meaning all of its contents were recovered in full by police. Before handing down the two-month jail term at Dodds Prison, Magistrate Jared Richards criticized Austin for betraying the kindness of a community member who had repeatedly supported him, noting he had “bit the hand that fed you and treated you well,” and advised him to offer a formal personal apology to the storeowner upon his release from custody.

A 32-year-old public transit conductor has been handed a three-month custodial sentence for violating a court-issued peace bond, a ruling that comes only weeks after he was first placed on that same bond for an unrelated prior offense. Dario Jamar Cheltenham, a resident of Phillips Road, St Stephen’s Hill, entered guilty pleas before Magistrate Jared Richards to two new charges: assault occasioning actual bodily harm on fellow route taxi operator Ramon Marshall, and criminal damage to Marshall’s prescription eyeglasses, stemming from an altercation that unfolded on October 23. He will return to the District ‘A’ Traffic Court next month to receive formal sentencing on those two pending assault and property damage counts. Testifying in court, Police Constable Troy Tudor confirmed that both men are employed as workers on route taxis operating the high-traffic Jackson route, and had a pre-existing strained relationship with no recent amicable contact. The chain of events that led to the assault began when Marshall was driving along Warrens Road, only to spot Cheltenham standing directly in the roadway, obstructing the flow of oncoming traffic. Marshall and the passengers riding in his van repeatedly shouted at Cheltenham to clear the driving lane, but instead of complying, Cheltenham approached the moving vehicle unprompted, reached in, and slapped Marshall hard across the face. The force of the blow shattered Marshall’s eyeglasses and lacerated his right nostril, causing immediate bleeding. A shocked Marshall exited his van to chase Cheltenham, who fled toward the nearby Dome Mall parking lot. During the pursuit, both men lost their balance and fell to the ground; Marshall, with the assistance of a bystander, managed to restrain Cheltenham, at which point Cheltenham bit down hard on Marshall’s upper back. Following the altercation, Marshall immediately filed an official police report and sought out clinical medical care for his facial and bite injuries. When addressing the bench, a visibly remorseful Cheltenham stated, “I swear before God I am not lying to you. I am being fully transparent because you have always treated me fairly. I was heavily intoxicated at the time, I take full responsibility for my actions, and I know I was completely in the wrong. I offer my sincerest apology, and I will never engage in behavior like this ever again.” He went on to confirm that he did not have the $500 required fine for the bond breach on hand to pay immediately, telling the magistrate he would opt to serve out the related jail time, and would arrange to compensate Marshall for his damaged glasses once he is released from custody. Magistrate Richards expressed sharp frustration at Cheltenham’s repeated disregard for prior court leniency, noting, “You were standing right in this courtroom just a short time ago, and I gave you a second chance by placing you on a peace bond, because you had no one available to sign your bail paperwork. That prior case was fully resolved, and all you were required to do was stay out of trouble. Now you are right back here, facing new charges of violently attacking another member of the public. It is very clear you are treating the authority of this court like a trivial joke. You left this man injured and destroyed his personal property, and your actions are completely irrational. I will be coordinating directly with the assault victim to determine the full amount of compensation you owe, and if you are unable to pay that sum, you will face additional consecutive jail time on top of your current three-month sentence for the bond violation.” The full proceedings have been formally adjourned until November 9 to finalize remaining sentencing details.