That's because the Royal Barbados Police Force has now instituted strict guidelines that include a policy of paying before the staging of the event.

Yesterday, a directive from the office of Commissioner of Police Darwin Dottin, carried in the SUNDAY SUN, stated that all requests for police services had to be made to the commissioner in writing 90 days before the event.

Additionally, where the event required a maximum of three officers, the request should reach the commissioner's office 28 days before the event.

The promoter or person requesting the police will be required to visit and discuss the resources required with the force's representative.

"Having reached agreement on the needed resources, the person requesting the service will be required to sign an agreement, and pay in advance the estimated cost of providing the police service," the commissioner stated.

This followed persistent efforts by the Police Association to have entities ranging from the West Indies Cricket Board and the Barbados Turf Club to the Barbados Carnival Tourism, clear their indebtedness to the police.

At a meeting of the Police Association on July 19, it was revealed that over 50 private and public sector entities owed police in excess of $100 000.

The new guidelines stipulate that if a designated force representative believed that the contracted resources attending the event were "too elaborate", he or she could reduce those resources to an adequate security level and reduce the charge.

The directive also stated that where an event had started and the police believed the resources employed were inadequate, additional resources could be deployed after discussion with promoter or person requesting the service.

The additional personnel employed would carry a commensurate monetary charge.

"Failure or refusal to pay the contractual sum in advance, sign the written agreement, or failure to comply with the time line for submitting a request, may result in the request for such a service being denied," the commissioner stated.

Two weeks ago secretary of the Police Association, Michael Blackman, said
the situation of outstanding monies owed to the force would have been the subject of a meeting between the association and Dottin.

As far back as June 2003, former Police Association president, Station Sergeant Hartley Reid, had said that lawmen would no longer be working at private functions unless fees were paid up front. (WG)