Residents of Festival City and North Ruimveldt have been urged to stop blaming young people for all of the problems in society and start finding ways to address those ills.
The residents, who had gathered at a community meeting on Friday to address the escalating crime rate in their communities were told that the community policing group will conduct more patrols and have agreed to initiate other strategies to curb the problem.
The meeting, which was moderated by Margaret Lawrence, featured panelists, Gary Thompson – Chairman of the Festival City Community Policing Group; Carl Melville – Vice-Chairman of the Policing Group; Ovid Glasgow – Administrator in the Ministry of Public Security and Police Inspector Fredrick Joe. The Ministry of Public Infrastructure was represented by Nielson McKenzie.
The common position shared among the residents, was that the youth in the communities desperately need to be engaged in recreational activities so that they do not become attracted to criminal lifestyles.
But Glasgow addressed the importance of nurturing youth and encouraging them to attain their highest potential. He noted that the youth alone are not to be blamed for the current situation but that society too needs to accept the role it played in failing them.
“I want you to examine the problems today. You keep fighting the youths and you’re not fighting yourself. You’re blaming your own product. You are blaming yourself. And today because of the neglect, you are afraid of your own product…The worst example you can give to a youth is neglect and that’s what most of us if not all of us have done to the youth,” said Glasgow.
He further addressed the residents’ notion that unemployment among the young people of the communities was one of the leading causes of the exacerbated crime situation.
“We keep saying unemployment is the cause. If unemployment is the cause, what do we do to prevent unemployment? It is no use we are able to identify but can’t correct. You know what you’re suffering from but you can’t cure yourself,” he said.
Glasgow’s sentiments were echoed by Richard Taylor, Head of the Festival City Parent/Youth Organisation (FCPYO) who, in a passionate delivery to the audience, stated that it is the responsibility of the community to set the foundation for the youths to build upon, a task they’ve seemingly failed in accomplishing. “It was not set. Directly or indirectly we are all to be blamed as parents for whatever the children dem doing,” Taylor said.
Although North Ruimveldt and Festival City are plagued with a high crime rate, residents firmly believe that the perpetrators of these devious acts do not reside amongst them, but in fact infiltrate their communities from the outlying neighbourhoods. Gilbert Archer, Chairman of the East La Penitence Station Management committee affirmed the residents’ claims.
“A lot of these crimes that are being committed within this area—and I can say this openly— 90 or 95% of these crimes that are being committed are not people from the area. If you do the ground work, as I would do sometimes, they’re coming from outside of the area. There are a few contacts in the area but they’re coming from outside of the area,” Archer said.
Festival City is bordered to the north by Guyhoc and Lamaha Park, with both places being linked to the community by wooden bridges. Lamaha Park, which runs parallel to Sophia, is bridged to the A Field and B Field.
Taylor suggested that the majority of the criminals entering Festival City make quick escapes using these bridges, fuelling disagreement among the residents over whether these linkages should be developed or done away with permanently. One man, in defense of the bridges, noted that since the Lamaha Park-Sophia connection, accessing areas on the East Coast can be done in far less time, stating that if the other two bridges were to also be developed, accessibility can be improved and transportation costs cut.
He further stated that when criminals do escape over these bridges, the police usually lose them in chase as the bridges are more like shortcuts and cannot accommodate vehicles. Others were adamant that the linkages be dissolved, suggesting that that may be the solution to deflating the crime situation.
Despite the obvious anger displayed by the residents toward the state of affairs, persons were not distracted from the goal of the meeting, which was to offer constructive solutions to reducing the crime rate. Gary Thompson, Chairman of the Festival City Community Policing Group, revealed that the committee has a master plan for addressing both security and youth development. As regards youth development, it was stated that on Friday, Aubrey Norton would be visiting the area to hear the concerns of the youths in the community.
As far as security is concerned, Thompson mentioned the development of a task force, as well as an all-night initiative where groups of persons will patrol the areas on a three-shift system beginning at 6 pm. Anyone interested in joining the policing group can do so by making contact with members of the committee. Residents have also been urged to network with their neighbours and exchange telephone numbers so that in the event that any suspicious activity occurs, persons can be quickly contacted and informed.
Archer extended an invitation to all residents of East La Penitence to become involved in the group. He stated that by becoming members, residents would be able to interact and build relationships with the police officers, thereby strengthening their ties with the community. Archer said that committee meetings are held Thursdays at 18:45hrs, at the East La Penitence Police Station.
