Students in anti-crime march

The march included 20 students from 49 primary and secondary school along with members from the TTPS, Air Guard, Prison Service Youth Training Centre, Coast Guard, Families in Action, and Rape Crisis. Jacob said the march is all about an amnesty everyone has to get involved to deal with crime and criminality in the Northern Division.

He said with a robust will to fight against crime, the police have all the support from all stakeholders.

“The Northern Division for 2016 and as we entered 2017 is the division with the highest incidents of crime and criminality that is existing and we have to get the message across that we are not giving up.

Once we join forces together, we can redress this problem of crime in the division.” He continued, “We are getting the support from the Mayor, the MP and all personnel, from the prisons, air guard, the residents from the area. I want to thank everyone who supported the event and most importantly all the school the principals and teachers, because they ensured that at least 10 or 20 students from each school participated in this march.” Jacob said the young people are the future and they are getting the message, however, he said with all the support he believes the crime situation can be turned around.

He said the walk is an important initiative to interact with the community, because the police need to show they mean business, and welcomed their support in the fight against crime.

“The event is not a one-off event and it is a continuation of a mentorship programme that we have with schools in the area. The Prisons do it on a monthly basis, going to each schools, taking them to the prisons and other areas to meet with certain inmates who have reached a high level of reform to talk to the young people. The initiative will continue.” Jacob said the four and a half miles’ walk was incident free, and participants of the walk also got the corporation of motorists and people on the side walk along the way. He said anyone could have seen the students were concern about the crime situation in the country by the placards they carried.

Also addressing the students, former Legal Affairs Minister and St Augustine Member of Parliament Prakash Ramadhar said the march represents the future of the country where young people are sending the message that they do not want crime in the country.