The crime situation has no immediate solution

Jul 26, 2018 Editorial

Five bandits were shot dead during a botched robbery on Tuesday. Their deaths followed three killed on the seawalls a few months ago, and others under similar circumstances.
Five men left their homes on an inexplicable mission, reportedly lured by some safe in a house that was not theirs. The contents of the safe remain unknown to the general public and beg the question, “How did these men know about the safe?” Were they aware of the contents?
Those are interesting questions but they expose another fact of the criminal mind. People pursue what is not theirs for purely selfish reason and for greed. Who identified the location of the safe? Who controlled these men? Apart from the five, who else would have been beneficiaries?
For some time, the police have been going after criminals who appear to prey on the hapless. At one time, it was for money, which the criminals spent to enjoy a lavish lifestyle that they could not sustain. They used their ill-gotten gains to satisfy personal agendas.
Many who felt deprived, suddenly found that they had the wherewithal to buy just about anything. They bought flashy clothes and cars; they spent lavishly on women trying to present an image that they always perceived to be the image of the people they want to be.
They have died along the way but their handlers remain active, free to recruit others that the system produces. Each year, hundreds of young men leave school ill-equipped with the desire to be noticeable people in the society with money and cars and women. The handlers have a large group of recruits.
Therefore, the police keep operating in a vicious circle that becomes more dangerous with time. There was a time when the recruits were people who entered the homes of the rich when the gun was not so commonplace. They robbed and they terrorized households.
The gun came and these recruits felt more manly. They not only robbed but to demonstrate their power over people, they killed and were killed in return.
One contention is that the absence of a pronounced male presence has spawned this situation. A check of the records would show that none of the five could have been considered academically qualified. Two could barely read and write; one was said to be illiterate. This would indicate that the ability to reason would be diminished.
The education system, as it stands, continues to be heavily academically; biased, resulting in the person who is not academically inclined, to simply lag in the pursuit of education. By the time parents recognize this short coming and attempt to get the child on the road into a technical education, habits and desires have already been formed.
The police recognize this problem and under the stewardship of former Commissioner Seelall Persaud introduced a community-based programme that saw the police relating with the young people in the community. Unfortunately, this programme has not grown exponentially.
There have been efforts to involve religious leaders but these religious leaders have never been in contact with the young people, particularly the young men. Parents lost their control because most of them were single women raising young men whose role models dwelled on the streets.
One complaint is that society is always looking to government to take control of any situation that has got out of hand. The request is that the government should reintroduce a programme that would take young men off the streets—programmes like national service.
There is no single solution but for certain, there needs to be a start at seeking solutions. Until then, there will more like the five who were killed in the wee hours of Tuesday.

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