Police Commissioner Major General Antony Anderson on Tuesday described as a worrying trend the number of children being brought to book for serious crimes.
Anderson, who was speaking during his monthly press briefing, said of the 875 charges laid against children from 2019, as at November 1 this year, 79 were for murder, 66 for shooting, and 175 for rape. There were 256 charges for breaches of the Firearms Act, 175 for break-ins, 89 cases of robbery, and 56 for aggravated assault.
Anderson said collective action is needed to determine how to save child perpetrators.
“When we see children being perpetrators of major crimes, some concerns begin to emerge. Most of the perpetrators in this category are between 15 and 17 years old. Anderson believes that collective action from Jamaicans is the only answer to solving the crisis. If we do not act collectively, these individuals are going into an early career of violence and crime. We have to decide how we are going to save them,” Anderson said
He pointed out that the police engage in various early intervention strategies through the community safety and security branch and through entities like police youth clubs, but a more serious and collective approach will have to be taken.
“We are working closely with the Ministry of Education; however, we must take this matter more seriously. The pandemic of violence is infecting our children. It is important that all institutions of society be vigilant and engage in early surveillance and monitoring in homes and schools so that we can identify the early signs of violent tendencies before they become a law enforcement problem,” he said.
Source-Jamaica Observer
