标签： Barbados

On a recent Saturday in Christ Church, Barbados, a faith-based organization wrapped up a successful community outreach event that delivered far more than just school supplies to local families gearing up for a new academic year. Prophetic Prayer Protocol Ministries International (PPPMI) opened the doors of the Arjay Complex in Silver Hill to host its expanded back-to-school and wellness initiative, bringing critical support to more than 100 children and their household members who have faced ongoing financial strain in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What started as a small, localized effort to ease back-to-school burdens has grown into a multi-faceted welfare program this year, after organizers saw many families turned away in previous cycles due to limited resources, according to Senior Pastor Apostle Kevin Marshall. The initiative, which was born out of the increased hardship the church observed across communities during the global public health crisis, was designed to address both practical daily needs and long-term well-being, rather than only focusing on spiritual outreach.

PPPMI Co-Pastor Prophetess Cheriann Marshall outlined the full scope of support offered to attendees during an interview with Barbados TODAY. Beyond core school necessities including backpacks, notebooks, writing tools and other essential stationery, the organization distributed new and gently used school clothing to children. For adolescent attendees, gender-specific personal hygiene kits were prepared and distributed to ensure teenage students had access to the products they need to stay comfortable and confident throughout the school day.

The event also integrated free wellness services that fill gaps in accessible care for many low-income families. All participants could get no-cost health screenings for key metrics including cholesterol levels, blood pressure, blood sugar, and Body Mass Index. In addition to these general screenings, the ministry offered 15 free breast examinations for women, with any additional patients able to access the service for a heavily reduced rate of only $20.

The expansion of the 2024 initiative was made possible by cross-community donations from a network of local partners, including Evangelist Diane Holder of Fire Missions Ministry International, congregants of Faithful and True Witness Apostolic Church Ministries, local business Robinson Luxury Automobile Services, and PPPMI’s own members. Apostle Marshall emphasized that the church’s commitment to supporting vulnerable families is not limited to the back-to-school season, noting it operates as a year-round outreach effort.

To keep supporting families through ongoing financial challenges, the church has built partnerships with local farmers to source fresh meat and other staple food items for regular distribution. Around the Christmas holiday, the ministry also delivers hand-delivered holiday meats including hams, chickens and turkeys to households in need. Marshall added that the level of unmet need across local communities remains high, and he issued a call for more local residents and businesses to join in supporting these community welfare efforts to help reach more vulnerable families.

A 25-year-old resident of St. Michael has been released on $3,000 bail following his court appearance Saturday, where he denied all eight criminal charges stemming from an August 28 incident in the area.

Shaquan Shaquille Wickham, whose address is listed as 5F Maddison Terrace, Deacons Farm, faces a multi-count indictment covering drug offenses and multiple moving violations. The drug-related charges against him include three separate offenses: possession of cannabis, possession of the controlled substance with intent to supply it to others, and trafficking of cannabis.

Alongside the drug allegations, Wickham faces four motor vehicle-related charges: failing to pull over when a police vehicle with activated beacons and sirens signaled him to stop, operating a vehicle in a dangerous manner, driving without a valid driver’s license, driving an uninsured vehicle, and the fraudulent use of vehicle number plates.

Wickham made his initial appearance before Magistrate Deborah Beckles at the District ‘A’ Criminal Court, where he entered a formal not guilty plea to every charge listed in the indictment. Following the hearing, the court granted bail in the amount of $3,000, and scheduled the next hearing in the case for November 27, 2026.

Decades of growing traffic gridlock around the Constitution River Terminal in Barbados have pushed transport officials and law enforcement to announce a dual-pronged plan: targeted revisions to local traffic routes paired with aggressive enforcement against widespread road indiscipline among public service vehicle (PSV) operators and commuters. The intervention comes after sustained pressure from the Alliance Owners of Public Transport, which has repeatedly flagged crippling congestion at key chokepoints including Nursery Drive and the Charles Duncan O’Neal bridge.

To immediately ease flow for vehicles accessing the terminal, the government has confirmed it will reopen the Nursery Drive access point opposite Queen’s Park, a change designed to streamline entry and cut down on idle time at the busy interchange. But senior leaders have stressed that infrastructure adjustments alone cannot fix the root causes of the island’s persistent road problems.

Speaking on the crisis, Minister of Transport Kirk Humphrey noted that while many PSV operators consistently follow road rules, the overwhelming share of bottlenecks in the Constitution River area stem from deliberate violations by operators who refuse to use the purpose-built terminal facilities. “We created the terminal for the vehicles to go inside and park. They’re supposed to pick up and drop off there, but they don’t want to do it,” Humphrey explained. “If indiscipline is going to be your nature, no matter what system I try to put in place in terms of where traffic is allowed to go, indiscipline is going to be indiscipline.”

Humphrey called out common reckless behaviors, highlighting that operators of the island’s iconic ZR minibuses often stop in no-stopping zones, and that drivers frequently park for extended mid-trip conversations that block entire lanes. He emphasized that while operators are justified in requesting infrastructure improvements to ease congestion, the current lawless behavior cannot be blamed on anyone other than the violators themselves. Going forward, he warned, the government will pair ongoing community consultations with stepped-up legal enforcement, with repeat offenders facing immediate penalties.

Jason Bowen, Chief Technical Officer of the Ministry of Transport and Works, confirmed the details of the route adjustments, noting that the current terminal entrance configuration creates unnecessary hazards and delays for ordinary private motorists as well. “We have had discussions with the Traffic Branch of the police and the Transport Authority, and we are going to recommend that traffic be returned to the Nursery Drive access. Too much congestion is occurring on the other end, and we cannot allow that to continue,” Bowen said. Additional strict restrictions are also planned for the Nelson Street and Green Hill corridors, including time-bound drop-off zones and the rollout of automated surveillance cameras to track vehicles that loiter in unauthorized areas.

Ruth Holder, Director of the Transport Authority, added that commuters share a large portion of the blame for the ongoing chaos, saying passengers often actively encourage illegal stops and push back against enforcement actions. “When we offload vehicles at the entrance because of safety infractions, we get cursed by passengers because they have to walk further. It doesn’t make it any easier for us,” Holder explained. She revealed that the authority has ramped up enforcement efforts since late last year, now reviewing public and social media-submitted video evidence to penalize reckless operators. Between December 2023 and the end of July 2024, authorities suspended 82 PSV operating permits for repeated violations.

Across the Caribbean, justice system stakeholders are pushing for reforms to streamline criminal case processing, and a recent training initiative in Barbados marks a major step forward in this effort. The Regional Police Training Centre (RPTC), based in Seawell, Christ Church, wrapped up its 2026 Prosecutors and Enhanced Constables’ Development Courses Friday with an awards and closing ceremony, capping off five weeks of collaborative skill-building designed to reshape how law enforcement and legal prosecution teams work together.

In his remarks to graduating participants and program organizers, RPTC Deputy Commandant Lawrence Collymore emphasized that cross-team coordination is not just a procedural improvement, but a foundational requirement for delivering more effective, reliable outcomes in the criminal justice system. For decades, institutional silos have separated investigative police units from prosecution teams, creating miscommunication gaps, procedural delays, and avoidable errors that weaken cases and undermine public trust in justice systems across the region. To tackle this long-standing problem, the 2026 training cycle was built from the ground up to integrate both groups into a shared learning experience.

“A primary strategic objective of this training cycle was the dismantling of the silos that traditionally separate investigators from prosecutors by integrating both groups in a programme to establish a collaborative ecosystem that mirrors the requirements of a high-functioning justice system,” Collymore explained. This integrated approach directly addresses the well-documented weaknesses that often arise during the handoff of a case from the investigative phase to prosecution, a pain point that has plagued regional justice systems for years.

The five-week program, which launched on August 12, brought together dozens of law enforcement and prosecution professionals from across the Caribbean region, creating a space for cross-jurisdictional learning as well as cross-team collaboration. Unlike traditional training that trains investigators and prosecutors in separate cohorts, this course put both groups through the same hands-on practical exercises, including simulated crime incidents ranging from traffic accidents to residential burglaries, structured debates on procedural best practices, and mock suspect interviews. Facilitators ran a rigorous evaluation process throughout these activities, closely observing participants to catch procedural errors early and correct them at their source, rather than allowing bad habits to carry over into real-world case work.

By the end of the cycle, Collymore confirmed the initiative had met and even exceeded expectations, particularly when it came to building habits of real-time collaboration between the investigative and prosecution branches of regional law enforcement. Looking ahead to future training cycles, Collymore outlined two key recommendations to strengthen the program further. First, he called for continuing the practice of mixing junior new officers with seasoned veteran professionals in all integrated courses, a structure that supports intergenerational knowledge transfer and ensures that classroom learning remains rooted in the real-world practical experience that only veteran officers can bring. Second, he pushed for a greater focus on modern practical skills, including electronic evidence interviewing techniques and advanced crime scene management, to keep training aligned with evolving criminal tactics and investigative technologies.

The 2026 training cycle comes as regional law enforcement communities increasingly prioritize systemic improvements to address rising rates of transnational crime and strengthen public confidence. This integrated training model is now positioned to become a permanent framework for future professional development at the RPTC, with the potential to be adopted by other justice training institutions across the Caribbean.

As a new academic year approaches, national transport regulators have launched a major crackdown on unruly and unsafe behavior among public service vehicle (PSV) operators, revealing that 82 operating permits have been suspended over eight months for violating road conduct rules.

Transport Authority Director Ruth Holder announced the enforcement figures at a joint press conference hosted by the Ministry of Transport and Works and the Ministry of Education, just days ahead of the new school term opening on Monday, September 7. According to Holder, the expanded use of digital video surveillance across the country’s road network has given regulators concrete evidence to hold irresponsible operators accountable, marking a significant step forward in cracking down on road indiscipline.

“Since December last year, we have held consistent consultations with PSV owners, drivers and industry operators, and we have taken decisive enforcement action once evidence is secured,” Holder stated, noting that footage of violations has circulated widely on social media platforms. The permit suspensions, issued between December 2025 and the end of July 2026, target both operators and in some cases vehicle owners who fail to enforce conduct standards. Penalties range from formal warnings to 14-day permit suspensions, with one particularly severe violation resulting in a 42-day suspension, Holder added. Regulators also hold pre-penalty meetings with offending operators to review violations and determine appropriate disciplinary action, and local police have collaborated with the Transport Authority to provide additional enforcement support when needed.

The crackdown comes as transport industry leaders themselves push for stricter standards to protect commuters, especially schoolchildren returning to classes next week. Mark Haynes, acting chief executive for communications and public education at the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT), condemned the reckless and disrespectful behavior of a small subset of operators, saying public service providers have a fundamental responsibility to treat all passengers with decency.

Haynes specifically called for an immediate end to the use of obscene language and inappropriate music on PSVs, noting that many students are drawn to vehicles that play loud popular music, exposing them to explicit lyrics that harm their academic focus and personal development. “When schoolchildren fill their heads with offensive lyrics from these rides, they cannot concentrate on their lessons the way they should,” Haynes explained. He urged operators to abandon inappropriate content on their vehicles, and called on parents to guide their children to make better choices about which vehicles they ride to and from school. “No commuter – whether a child or an adult – should be forced to endure this kind of disrespectful behavior on public transport,” he added.

Anwar Nana, head of the Alliance of Public Transport Operators, echoed the call for stricter oversight, going a step further to demand mandatory random drug and alcohol testing for all PSV drivers. “We formally requested the transport ministry to arrange random testing, and our industry does not tolerate any operation under the influence of intoxicating substances,” Nana confirmed.

The coordinated push from both regulators and industry leaders comes ahead of an expected surge in student commuting, with stakeholders emphasizing that safer, more respectful public transport is a critical public priority as the new school term begins.