Police Commissioner Everton Jeffers
Acting Police Commissioner Everton Jeffers expresses concern over a troubling increase in violence among young people, emphasizing that all Antiguans should be worried. In just one week, a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old were charged with murder.
“This is not normal. These are serious crimes, lives lost, families shattered, and the ages of those involved. We are seeing them caught up in robberies, violence, drug use, gang activities, and even murder. This is no longer a police problem, it is a national emergency,” he said in a statement.
Jeffers says if there’s no action, the country is in danger of having an entire generation wiped out.
“These violent acts are more than just crimes, they are signs of systems that are failing at home, school, communities….we have to stop pretending that these are isolated incidents. They are happening too often, too close to home and to kids who should be in classrooms or on football fields, not in courtrooms or prison cells”, he said.
He said the time to have “the difficult conversations” and “hold our young people and ourselves responsible for what we are not doing”.
According to Jeffers, adults often blame children for their behavior, but teaching respect, empathy, and conflict resolution is essential for students.
Meanwhile, the top cop says from his end, the force has expanded community policing programs for at-risk youth, “but we cannot do this alone. We need the whole of Antigua and Barbuda to be working along with us as we do so”.
Heaven help us. Jesus take the wheel.
We need to get the fathers for these young criminals involved in their lives. It’s not too late for a change. Mothers alone cannot handle them. Too much of our men/fathers are just sperm donators instead of stepping up, take responsibility tans be a positive father figures, especially to boys children. We are losing a generation of young boys/men because of absentees fathers. We are not seeing much fathers in our society today taking their sons to a sport game, a movie, to church, for a talk, or even for a drive. A lot of our fathers are hanging out in bars, on the streets corners, or chancing another skirts.
Some of these same farthers you speak have been force out of their children life by the mothers…..and the sad reality is a woman can only teach her son how to treat a woman but not how to be a man
I agree. The need for a stern voice within household to caution and guide is increasing. Gentle parenting clearly seems to not be working. Give these kids an inch and they taking a whole.
This is the most scary statement that I have read in a long time coming from a police officer. Im very concerned about my people. Especially those in their youthful age. Let us take heed
We need to open our eyes and realise what is happening around us. We can’t play blind for ever
This is the time we have to fight for our youths! We must pray and push! We are losing our angels to violence and crime
This GenZ generation is the dumbest I’ve ever seen. Too many influences and not a mind of their own