Police Commissioner Major General Anthony Anderson is appealing for help to steer the nation’s children from a life of crime after a review of the crime stats indicated that 875 children have been charged for varying types of crimes since 2019.
Speaking during the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) monthly press conference yesterday, the Commissioner disclosed that as at November 1 this year, 79 children were charged for murder, 66 for shooting, and 175 for rape. Another 256 children were charged for breaches of the Firearms Act, 175 for break-ins, 89 cases of robbery, and 56 for aggravated assault. He noted that most of the perpetrators in this category are between 15 and 17 years old.
“We are bringing this to the nation’s attention because as a society, we have to decide how we are going to save them. As the police, we engage in various early intervention strategies through our Community Safety and Security Branch and programmes like the Police Youth Clubs,” he said.
He said the JCF also works closely with the Ministry of Education and the safe schools programme, but he wants everyone to take the “pandemic of violence” affecting the nation’s children seriously.
“They are not merely innocent victims of violence. In far too many instances, children and adolescents are actually the perpetrators themselves. It is important that all institutions of society be vigilant and engage in early surveillance and monitoring, whether in the home, school or elsewhere, so that we can identify the early signs of violent tendencies before they become a law enforcement problem,” the chief crime fighter admonished.