The Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda has spent the last several months
planning for an anticipated increase in crime as the Carnival season gets on the
way.
Commission of Police, Atlee Rodney, said the police force is aware that the
months from January to March are what he termed ‘our honeymoon period,’ with
little reported criminal activity in the country. However, this changes from the
onset of Sailing Week, to Labour Day and into the Carnival season.
“Things start to change crime-wise from April; we know that and we have plans in
place to deal with that. You must also understand that Carnival doesn’t start with
the Opening Parade at the end of July, Carnival starts from June with the pre-
carnival activities, where every weekend there is a fete,” Rodney explained.
The police commissioner is appealing to members of the public and the organisers
of the Carnival fetes, to work along with the force to keep crime in check.
“Individuals should be able to celebrate in whatever form or manner they choose,
without fear of becoming victims of crime. You should be able to have fun in
peace and tranquility and we have to work with the organisers, the patrons, and
even the sponsors, as they too need to ensure that their names or their brands are
not associated with an event where violence takes place. We are therefore
appealing to these stakeholders to work with the police to provide a safe
environment for the fetes,” he urged.
According to the top cop, the force did a reasonably good job last year in keeping
crime or disruptions in check and it is the intention of the police to ensure that this
continues into carnival 2023.
The police will be executing several strategies including ‘stop-and-search’ as part
of an aggressive campaign to deal with crime before it gets out of control.
COP Rodney: Plans are in place to deal with increased crime during Carnival
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