Nation’s leader says Barbuda Council and police need to co-exist until accommodation is available

The Barbuda Council and the police force need to address the standoff over the use of the Barbuda fisheries complex in an amicable manner.
Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, made the comment in an interview with OBSERVER media yesterday.
The comment followed a five-hour impasse between the Barbudan people and the police over access to the complex on Sunday.
The prime minister’s suggestion to the Barbuda Council and law enforcement officers is that they peacefully co-exist until an adequate accommodation for police officials can be found.
He contended that although a peaceful agreement can be made, it appears that the Barbuda Council simply wants to start a war with the police for political purposes.
 “[The Barbuda Council] well know that, up to this point, [the police] are not able to get an appropriate accommodation where [the police] can live and carry out police work, but they are just hell-bent on creating confusion,” he said.
“[Sunday], I called the Attorney General to tell the police leave them with the keys because the last thing you want was to play into the hands of the members of the Barbuda Council and for anyone to get hurt.” he said.
The prime minister said that the Barbuda Council needs to stop creating conflict and focus on governing the island.
“The [Barbuda People’s Movement] seems to be bereft of any idea of governing the island at this time. We all know that Barbudans are going through a very difficult time. This is a time when we need to have unity on the island and within the country, a time when we need to create opportunities for the people of Barbuda, especially economic opportunities.” he said.