A total of 33 new people have been appointed justices of the peace in Barbados.
The men and women, who hail from a range of sectors, took the oath of office today at the residence of the Governor General Sir Elliott Belgrave.
Retired assistant commissioner of police Graham Archer (left) accepting his instrument of office from Governor General Sir Elliott Belgrave.
Retired deputy commissioner of police Bertie Hinds.
Among the 30 new and three affirmed individuals were well-known entrepreneur Shelly Williams, former deputy commissioner of police Bertie Hinds, personal assistant to the Minister of Finance Melanie Callendar-Forde, Democratic Labour Party St Michael South East candidate Patrick Tannis and Ram Mirchandani, the husband of popular businesswoman Asha Mirchandani.
Entrepreneur Shelly Williams is one of the new JPs sworn in today.
The others consist of mostly retired police officers.
Williams, one of the youngest of the group, said she was honoured to be a JP and she would “hold it with pride”.
She told Barbados TODAY that while there were always “some exceptions to the rule” there should be no concern about JPs abusing their powers.
“Generally speaking I don’t see that being a big problem for us. We are a pretty disciplined society,” she said.
Among their roles, the appointees will be able to explain and sign legal documents.