Barbados police personnel are set to receive continuous training from Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom this year.

Dale Marshall, attorney general and minister of legal affairs, made the announcement on Friday (March 10) that the country will be welcoming expert trainers this year to tackle the training deficit within the police service.

“Sending six police every year out of a total police population of just around 1,200, it’ll take us forever. So, one of the initiatives that we’re taking in the coming financial year is bringing in expert trainers from Canada, the US and England, so that our officers don’t have to leave Barbados but our officers can receive training non-stop, around the clock, and we can do larger numbers,” he said.

The government of Barbados, through its immersion programme with the Durham Constabulary Force in the United Kingdom, have sent police officers to the UK to participate in advanced police training over the last two years.

“We need to have the finest police force in the region, but we can only do so if all of our people are trained,” Marshall added.

The attorney general also noted that the Barbados Police Service is set to benefit from a large sum of the total amount budgeted for the attorney general’s office for the 2023-2024 fiscal year to help improve the service provided by the police.

“In the office of the attorney general’s budget, the Barbados Police Service lays claim to the single largest amount of that $197 million – the police service will be claiming $131 million. I want to make the point that this represents a significant increase over what was budgeted in the current financial year. In the current financial year (2022-2023), the police service is receiving $114 million,” he said.

Marshall added: “In the coming financial year, the police service will be receiving $131 million. Again, demonstrating our tangible commitment to law and order.”