Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police Trevor “Buju” Bailey has given a sweeping assurance that Vincy Mas 2026 will live up to its billing as the safest carnival in the region.
He used the Carnival Development Corporation’s (CDC) press conference on Wednesday to warn would-be troublemakers that the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force will meet them “head on” if they bring violence into Kingstown.
‘6ixx and 7even’ vs ‘number one’: policing the gangs
Bailey alluded to the recent prominence of “6ixx” and “7even” as identifiers in local conflict.
“I want to give you 10 reasons why we’re going to have a safe carnival. I know we have the issues with sometimes these numbers — I don’t really like to call them, but there are two numbers that [have] been popping up lately, a six and a seven,” he said.
Bailey said he wanted to replace those numbers with a single one:
“I want to replace the six and the seven with one number — one Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force. That is the only number that we carry: one,” he said.
His message to anyone considering bringing “6ixx and 7even violence” into the carnival was stark:
“If you have any bad intention, keep your intention to yourself. If you bring it to Kingstown, you will come head on [with] number one, and we will flex our muscles, and I’m saying it boldly,” Bailey said. “We will flex our muscles as hard as we can if you bring any 6ixx and 7even violence… because we get serious when it comes to that,” he added.
‘Ten to one is…’ — a numerical warning for would‑be offenders
Bailey framed his security message in a “10 to 1” formula, listing the broad coalition calling for a peaceful carnival.
“The Minister of National Security is asking for a peaceful carnival. The Commissioner of Police is asking for a peaceful carnival. CDC is asking for [a] peaceful carnival. The Ministry of Health is asking for [a] peaceful carnival. The vendors are asking for a peaceful carnival. The promoters are asking for a peaceful carnival. The school children [are] asking for a peaceful carnival. The taxi association is asking for [a] peaceful carnival. The merchants [are] asking for [a] peaceful carnival,” he said.
He noted that this added up to a 10‑to‑1 ratio between those who want peace and those who might seek conflict:
“Now, if I give you 10, there’s that old saying ‘10 to one is…’ and I’m leaving it right there. I am not saying the other word,” Bailey said, citing the saying, “ten to one is murder”, meaning an advantageous position. “I’m just saying 10 to one is — so there are 10 of us against you alone. So don’t bring no 6ixx and 7even violence into our carnival. We’re going to stamp that out,” he warned.
Bailey said the force intends to ensure that everyone has a peaceful carnival.
“We’re going to give the full, full support and ensure that Vincymas is a successful one,” he said, describing the police as a “very senior partner” of the CDC.
Bailey said the force has already demonstrated its approach at rural carnivals and will flood the capital with officers during the 10‑day national celebrations.
“Vincy Mas is indeed the safest carnival in the region, and… 2026 is going to be no exception,” Bailey said.
“There’s going to be no shortage of police presence in and around Kingstown.”
More police, more visibility, same message: ‘We get serious’
Bailey said anyone questioning how safe this year’s carnival will be needs only to look at the increased police presence during recent rural events.
He cited two major rural carnivals the previous weekend, one in Georgetown and the other in Chateaubelair.
“None of those events had a shortage of police. We ensured that there were more than enough security personnel on the ground, and that is an indication that come 2026 for the national carnival, there’s going to be no shortage of police presence in and around Kingstown,” Bailey said.
He said the police are preparing for the typical carnival environment — crowds, alcohol and revelry — but insisted that this would take place in a controlled, secure setting.
“We know that for the 10‑day period, people [are] going to come to Kingstown, they’re going to consume the alcohol, they’re going to enjoy all of the shows, they’re going to patronise the bars, and we want people to come and do that,” Bailey said. “You will be doing so in an environment that is safe and secure.”
He promised high visibility across the city, saying, “At every corner, at every junction, when you travel Kingstown, you will interface with police officers who are dressed in the uniform of the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force, so the environment to party, the environment to revel will be safe.”
Tolerance, not licence: policing behaviour in a festive city
Bailey told the press conference that officers had been briefed internally and instructed to exercise some tolerance in dealing with minor behavioural issues during the festival.
He acknowledged that the mix of alcohol and loud music can sometimes trigger out-of-character conduct.
“So it is not unusual to hear an expletive coming from someone who you may not normally get it from,” Bailey said.
Officers, he said, have been advised to speak first, arrest later in cases such as indecent language.
“At least you can tap them and say, ‘Well, behave yourself. You had enough; time for you to go home,’” he said.
However, Bailey stressed that this flexibility must not be misread as a free pass.
“It is not a licence for you to come to Kingstown and drink and misbehave and figure that because I say we’re going to be flexible, you come and mash up the place,” he warned. “We will not allow that behaviour to get too excessive” [0:12:15].
‘No glass bottle zone’: tougher rules for drinks on the streets
A central plank of the security plan is a strict “no glass bottle” policy in Kingstown and around carnival venues.
Bailey said vendors would be required to pour drinks into plastic cups, and patrons would not be allowed to walk the streets with glass containers.
He noted that the Minister of National Security, St. Clair Leacock, is expected to formally declare the relevant areas as no-glass-bottle zones.
“It is an offence to traverse the streets walking with your Guinness and your beer in the bottle like that. We don’t want to have to arrest anyone for that violation. All we simply ask is that you pour your drink into a plastic glass and enjoy your drink,” he said.
Officers have also been instructed to enforce the rule with common sense “in that we don’t want to see an officer meet somebody with a Guinness and he just go and pull the Guinness away and open it and pour it on the ground,” Bailey said.
“We have advised our officers to ask the person to pour the drink, and if they don’t have a glass, finish it right there and take the bottle from them,” he explained.