In recent months, Antigua and Barbuda has been grappling with the deeply concerning issue of increased criminal activity, specifically an upsurge in violence among young people.
Citizens, policymakers, clergymen and community leaders have expressed alarm at the distressing trend.
Commissioner of Police Atlee Rodney said that uunderstanding the root causes behind this surge in youth violence and implementing effective strategies to address it are vital steps in safeguarding the future of Antigua’s young generation.
Rodney says he is deeply concerned about youth engagement in crime and violence and the matter, which is of grave concern to the Royal Police Force of Antigua, and is therefore being treated as a matter of national urgency.
Speaking to local media, Rodney said the surge in youth violence in Antigua has been an unfortunate development in recent times.
Incidents of violence involving young individuals have escalated to an extent that demands urgent attention, he said, and he is of the view that adults need to be better role models in the home and the society for our children.
“We need more role models; we need more persons to divert from that life of crime they are heading too. We are seeing negative social influence in the community,” he said, as he shared the colloquial term, it takes a village to raise a child.
“We cannot say, it’s not my child, it’s our community. The life we save may just be your own,” he added.
