Several regional prime ministers are calling for a concerted regional effort in the fight against crime ahead of today’s regional symposium on crime and violence across the area, headlined Violence as a Public Health Issue—the Crime Challenge.
Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, who will discuss the communal approach, stated that the populace must assist in combating crime.
Skerrit, speaking with Guardian Media upon his arrival at the Hyatt Regency in Port-of-Spain last night, urged the media to highlight the challenges and play a role in crime combat.
“The most important thing is that we’re all here to talk as leaders and as a community.” It will take a communal response to address crime, something we cannot rely solely on the government to resolve.
“The government has a role to play, but if everyone in society plays their part, we will have a better understanding of what we all need to do to address what has become a very concerning phenomenon throughout the region,” Skerrit added.
“We are all suffering from this,” he added, “and it is a huge cost to our treasuries, loss of lives, and it’s true, gun violence has become a public health issue, and we look forward to very constructive and sincere engagement.”
Skerrit urged that everyone, including the church, business sector, and schools, had to contribute to the community approach.
“I believe we need to revisit the school curriculum,” he stated. We don’t provide pupils adequate time to participate in extracurricular activities or to connect and solve problems together. It is overly exam-driven, thus we must consider holistic child development.
“You, the media, we don’t need to focus on glorifying, blaming, and pointing fingers. I believe we must use the media to elicit the kind of support and engagement from the rest of society.”
According to Grenada Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell, there may also be a lack of access to education.
“There is a significant need for a significant review of the education system to ensure that we produce less deviant young people,” Mitchell said.