Prime Minister Mia Mottley has introduced plans to introduce new laws that may overhaul Barbados’ nationwide safety framework, together with provisions to make wi-fi surveillance admissible in courtroom and implement lie detector testing for people with entry to delicate areas.
At a press convention on Thursday, Mottley stated a draft wi-fi intercept legislation had already been reviewed by a subcommittee of the Advisory Council on Citizenship Safety, chaired by authorized scholar Professor Velma Newton. With the subcommittee’s evaluation now full, the laws awaits full council consideration earlier than heading to Legal professional Normal Dale Marshall for the subsequent steps.
“We might have spoken beforehand to you {that a} consultative course of on wi-fi intercept laws and with the ability to use the intercepts as proof in a legislation courtroom is one thing that we’d want to pursue,” Mottley stated. “The subcommittee that has reviewed the laws, has completed their work. It has now to go to the total council. The Cupboard and the Parliament will take the required steps to introduce that laws, aware that in lots of cases intel is out there, however should you can’t use that intel as proof, there may be then a break between what you possibly can carry to courtroom and what you recognize,” she added.
“The federal government has decided that we can not proceed to have that state of affairs acquire, and due to this fact we need to bridge the hole with the passage of the laws. As soon as we get it again from that advisory council, that may transfer with dispatch.”
Along with the surveillance legislation, the federal government additionally plans to roll out “reality verification” testing, also referred to as polygraph or lie detector assessments, as a part of its nationwide safety technique.
Mottley famous that the initiative had been underneath dialogue for months, led by the legal professional normal and the everlasting secretary within the Prime Minister’s Workplace, who additionally serves as secretary to the Nationwide Safety Council. Discussions have concerned commerce unions, employees’ representatives, and the non-public sector.
“The reality verification testing is just not specializing in any class of employee; it’s specializing in individuals who’ve entry to sure safe areas,” Mottley defined. “When you have entry to sure safe areas, then we have to guarantee that you’re appearing with the integrity that we’d like you to behave with such that the remainder of the society is just not put in danger.
“The reality verification testing, due to this fact, is a flowery set of phrases—successfully a lie detector take a look at—and due to this fact will probably be subjecting each private and non-private sector individuals. We settle for that individuals can’t be compelled in sure circumstances to do it and due to this fact if they’ll’t work they received’t have entry to these areas and will need to be positioned in different jobs, however the AG will proceed these discussions and set a timeline.”
The federal government has spent the previous 12 months making ready for implementation by coaching personnel and buying essential gear. In keeping with Mottley, Barbados is now able to launch the testing program.
“We’re at a stage now able to execute and I count on due to this fact that the AG will likely be assembly with the unions within the subsequent week, ten days, to have the ability to set the timelines for that to turn into reside,” she stated.
