The Barbados Police Service Band, previously known as the Royal Barbados Police Band part of the

Barbados Police Service The Barbados Police Service (BPS), previously called the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF), is the law enforcement agency in Barbados, as established under the Police Act, Cap. 167. Richard Boyce is currently Commissioner of the Police. The BP ...

, has been a prominent musical group in

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

since its foundation in 1889 and is one of the oldest police bands in the world. Police bands are common throughout the

Anglophone Caribbean The languages of the Caribbean reflect the region's diverse history and culture. There are six official languages spoken in the Caribbean: :*Spanish (official language of Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Bay Islands (Honduras), Corn Isl ...

, and are known for playing a wide variety of

Caribbean music Caribbean music genres are very diverse. They are each synthesis of African, European, Arab, Asian, and Indigenous influences, largely created by descendants of African slaves (see Afro-Caribbean music), along with contributions from other commun ...

, as well as marches and popular songs.

History

When the RBPF was first established it was with a complement of 19 serving Policemen. At that time they wore regulation police uniforms, and their selection was due to the love for music and the knowledge of the art. The first Bandmaster was Capt. Willocks who came to the Island with the 2nd. Battalion of the West Riding Regiment, as its Bandmaster. In 1914, Sergeant Major Emmanuel Bennernagel of the British Guiana Militia Band was appointed as Bandmaster, and took it on its first overseas tour to St. Lucia in 1945. He was also responsible for instituting the Band Cadet system of recruitment. Captain Charles E. Raison replaced Sergeant Major Bennernagel in 1946, and since then the band has had a number of Directors of Music which included Lieutenant William Griesley and Lieutenant Joseph Griffith. Snce December 2012, Superintendent Keith Ellis has held the post of

Director of Music A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the di ...

. In 1967 the music of the Barbados National Anthem was re-arranged by Inspector Prince Cave. He gave the Anthem a more sustained harmony while at the same time retaining the original tune. In 2016 for the 50th Anniversary of Independence, Constable Steve Sobers arranged a special descant to the 2nd verse of the anthem. The band today is made up of 54 Officers, men and women, along with 10 band apprentices and tours extensively, visiting countries like the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands ( es, Islas Vírgenes) are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Rico Trench and St. Croix ...

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

St. Kitts Saint Kitts, officially the Saint Christopher Island, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis cons ...

Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. On 30 November 2021, the band was renamed the Barbados Police Band to reflect the transition of Barbados from a

monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutional monarchy) ...

to a

republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

References

Notes

Carib Zone

Barbadian musical groups Law enforcement in Barbados Police bands 1889 establishments in the British Empire {{Barbados-stub