Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 03, 2016 (SKNIS): Superintendent Merclyn Hughes of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force (RSCNPF) is calling on parents to play an integral role in their children’s upbringing.
She made these comments during the Government’s weekly radio and television programme “Working for You” on Wednesday, February 03.
“This is a very burning issue for us,” she said. “As law enforcement we recognize that the family is not playing an important enough role in the crime prevention because a lot of what is going on takes place even within the confines of the home of the family.”
She stated that parents need to control their families, as opposed to having children running around and raising themselves. She encouraged parents to check children’s rooms and bags and get to know who their friends are.
“Go inside their cellphones to check and see who they are associated with,” said Superintendent Hughes, while adding that the parents should get involved in the Parent Teacher Association. “Go to the school and find out what they are doing. We are losing the battle with our young children.”
Superintendent Hughes explained that the Federation has a young population of parents, some of whom are teenagers who are not fully matured and able to understand the concept of raising a child.
The superintendent reflected on the old saying “it takes a village to raise a child”, stating that the concept needs to be reinforced.
“I am imploring you, the community has to take back these villages,” she stated. “We have to take back our communities. We cannot allow a few misguided youth to run things and to feel as if they are in charge of us. We are the parents.”
She made mention of the victims’ families and noted that they too, especially children go through psychological trauma. She said that these children often receive no professional assistance and thus, they have to look at ways to partner with schools. She recalled the installation of truancy officers who were placed in schools to identify at-risk youth. Superintendent Hughes is making a special call to citizens to do their civic duties and ensure that students attend school, stay in school and do their work. She warned that this is not just the work of the police as everyone has to come together to eradicate crime from the society.