Updated: December 4, 2010
Report confirmed: Barbados Today builds on our story and gets confirmation from the Royal Barbados Police Force that two tourists were robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight on Sandy Lane beach. If the mega rich aren’t safe at Sandy Lane in the middle of the day, pray tell me who is?
How much serious crime goes unmentioned in the Barbados news media?
Here are two of the emailed crime alerts currently making the rounds in Barbados. Folks must use an abundance of caution when receiving or forwarding these types of alerts because as we’ve seen in the past some of them are bogus.
If the Royal Barbados Police Force published crime report summaries online for citizens to see instead of dishing out a few “hot” stories to the regular news media like you’d reward your doggie with a biscuit, citizens could be informed straight from the source and make their own decisions with good information.
Instead, we are forced to rely upon tweets and emails from neighbourhood organizations because the police don’t do their job and alert citizens to high crime areas… until there is a body or a tourist hurt.
Anyway, here’s today’s emails talking of crimes that were never reported in the news media. Did they really happen? We think so, but we’re only ordinary citizens so our masters at the police don’t allow us access to the truth unless it suits their agenda.
Crime #1
Sandy Lane Property Owners Association ADVISORY
This advisory is to alert all SLPOA Property Owners and Residents that a daylight robbery has occurred near our Beach Facility.
On Tuesday November 30, 2010, Independence Day, a couple staying at the Sandy Lane Hotel were robbed at gunpoint while walking on the beach to the south of the Beach Facility.
They were around the corner to the south of the Beach Facility when they were robbed at around noon.
Please be aware and take extra precautions on the beaches.
Kind Regards,
Sandy Lane Property Owners Association
Sandy Lane Estate, St. James BB24011
(We’ve heard that the police arrested someone for this crime near Sandy Lane, but there’s been nothing in the news.)
Crime #2
One of my work colleagues resident in Kent had a very disturbing experience on Thursday night about 10pm on her way home. There was one car in front of her as she turned into the Upton area after Bartel ( somewhere near the CARTAC office). The car in front of her stopped suddenly and the driver began to blow the horn and then attempted to reverse. My colleague was close enough to notice pieces of wood with nails (spikes) blocking the roadway.
Then about 4 men ( maybe more) with lit torches ( as described by my colleague these were fire torches and not lit flashlights) came out of the bushes near by. Both my colleague also reversed swerving all over the road. Apparently 2 other vehicles also using the road (unaware of what was happening) began to blow their horns at the reversing vehicles. The men retreated into the bushes..The police were called and subsequently removed the wood from the road. I believe all should be made aware of the incident.
Barbados Free Press 
Scary!
Speaking of crimes I wonder what is the difference between Michael Cook, messenger at Clico stealing $1.3 million as opposed to the millions that are owed to clients due to mismanagement at the company!!!1
Rasta man the difference between Michael Cook, messenger at Clico, and the top level management at CLICO is that Cook is going to jail and top management of Clico are living “high on the hog”!
They were probably blue vexed he got his hands on the 1.3 million and not them…LOL.
“Jaws” was not a book by Peter Benchley about a shark, it was a book about a beachside tourist town that refused to acknowledge the shark lest they ruin the tourist season and lose revenue. Same business here. No real reporting of crime by police or governement (is there a difference?) for fear of negative impacts on tourist arrivals and the economy. The lesson is that it is necessary to be responsible for your own security. Wonder why more Barbadians than Americans carry guns? HHHHMMMMM!
Dream holiday to Barbados that turned into a nightmare after barrister was shot by robber
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 12:15 AM on 30th June 2009
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1196339/Dream-holiday-Barbados-turned-nightmare-barrister-shot-robber.html#ixzz17F7hNHum
British Tourist Shot, Robbed Near Sandy Lane Resort Barbados On June 4, 2009 – Victim Alleges Silence By Barbados News Media, Hotel, Tourism Authorities
https://barbadosfreepress.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/british-tourist-shot-near-sandy-lane-resort-barbados-on-june-4-2009-cover-up-by-bajan-press/
It is clear that there are SOME myopic people amongst the tourism and public order policymakers. They naively believe that if you keep
crime againist visitors out of the local media that the problem will go away and no one will know about it.
The reality is quite different. Perhaps they do not realise that the victims of past crimes, their relatives, international media, past visitors and potential new ones ALL visit this website, some on a daily basis.
They also visit social media sites like TripAdvisor’s Barbados Forum.
Currently of the first 20 topics, an alarming 3 are dedicated to recent on island crime concerns.
Its a bit like calling TripAdvisor a ‘menace’ when 40 million unique visit it in a single month and for months ignoring FaceBook.
I chaired the BHTA’s Safety and Security Committee briefly and despite having a RBPF representative on the committee, I would still have to rely of reading about crime events in the local media.
‘We’ allow things to FESTER and then they get almost beyond control.
It happened with Long Beach and I can see it happening again on the West Coast.
Safety and Security is NOW one of the most important decision making factors in choosing a destination.
We HAVE to wake up and smell the coffee!
A friend of my mother was robbed at knife point , in Broad daylight, on the South Coast Boardwalk last week. There were two men, one holding a knife to her back, and one to her chest. They took her chain, purse, and other jewelry . Luckily, no harm was done, but she is scared to go walking there again.
This is getting to be a crisis, and yet, it is not even in the press, even though the attack was reported to the Police.
Crime in St. James has been bad for a long, long time. There have been a number of aggravated burglaries in the Durants Village, Holder’s Hill, Paynes Bay area in the past few months. Sadly, the police are too slow to respond and are just not interested in any real investigation. In the past year all sorts of criminals have settled in the area near Blue Monkey beach (hence the gate and confusion on the beach) and in Holder’s Hill. Drugs, thieves, paros and guns too plentiful. Sadly, the police do visit the area but only to patronise the rum shops. I vote to bring in Scotland Yard. Let’s get some real law enforcement down here.