National Commission on Law and Order

In Antigua & Barbuda, as in all other CARICOM countries, and indeed in most countries around the world, escalating crime and violence threaten the welfare and safety of citizens and the stability of the state.

There is no quick – fix for the pervasive problem of crime in any country. The Police, no matter how effective, cannot by themselves win the war against crime. There are unique dimensions to the problem of crime in Antigua & Barbuda, since this is perhaps one of the few countries where crime might well be a “top-down” phenomenon, denoted by a culture of lawlessness in the highest offices in the land.

For decades there have been scandals in the Bird Dynasty in which no public official has been known to suffer any punishment. Together with this, our Police
Force had been politicised and demoralized over the years. The UPP could not have corrected all the wrongs attached to law enforcement in one term. However, our police officers today are better trained, better equipped, better motivated, better paid, and more effective.

With all of this, the reality is that it will take a national effort to combat crime. To this end, the UPP will establish a National Commission on Law and Order that will include representatives of all sectors of civil society, together with members of the Protective Services.

The National Commission on Law and Order will assist the Government in achieving civil peace and harmony, cultural renewal and social cohesion. The National Commission on Law and Order will include representatives from the churches, the volunteer sector, the media, business, youth, political parties, alternative cultures, calypsonians, education and health.

The National Commission on Law and Order will assist in the development and implementation of a holistic plan for reducing crime and providing positive alternatives for youth at risk. Among the causal factors for crime are:

• The breakdown in extended families
• Children having to fend for themselves without parental guidance
• The negative influence of foreign media programming
• Radio stations that use the media as weapons of mass destruction
• Marginalization of sections of the community
• Breakdown in informal social control
• Easy access to guns
• The infiltration of narcotrafficking syndicates.

The solutions must include:

• A holistic national effort
• More emphasis on prevention rather than cure
• An efficient, modern justice system
• Rehabilitation in the Penal System
• The renewal of cultural values
• Focus on youth at risk
• Inclusion of those who feel marginalized

At the core of the police response to any surge in criminal activity must be Community Policing, with the police working within our communities as change agents, leading community coalitions to take back our neighbourhoods and our streets.

Parallel with all of this, will be the expansion of the police force with an emphasis on Community-oriented problem solving. Given Antigua & Barbuda’s open borders, criminals deported from the United States, Britain and other Caribbean islands can easily enter and remain here.

As a critical component in a national law and order effort, the United Progressive Party will introduce a National Identitication Card in the next term.

The National Identification Card will be issued to all citizens and residents and will be of inestimable value in protecting the rights of the individual and facilitating access to public services.