Importance of the Police Boys Club to youths-at-risk
By Donella K. Dias
SKNVibes.com
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Miss Donella Dias
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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – IN the recent past, the nation has witnessed an upsurge in gun-related and other forms of violent crimes being committed in the Federation, and a large percentage of them were perpetrated by youths under the influence of gang membership.
This growing phenomenon has placed the nation’s youths at risk and many attempts were made at rectifying this situation with little or no success.
However, a group of young, enthusiastic and dedicated members of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force has decided to establish a club with the aim of effecting positive influences and role models for youths-at-risk in the Federation.
This club is called the Police Boys Club and it was formed on December 17, 2007 by Sergeant (SGT) Adolph Adams and Constables Michael, Arthurton and Herbert, who saw its establishment as one of the possible solutions to the increase in violence and gang-related activities among the nation’s youths.
At the onset with a 12-boy membership, SGT Adams and his team took action and initiated the group; a strategic move that was welcomed by the community as a step towards bridging the gap between police and the public.
The club now has a membership of over 40 and is open to boys seven to 16 years old. ~~Adz:Right~~
Having identified reasons why people enlist in gangs, the Police Boys Club sought to devise strategies geared at creating a pattern of attitudes and behaviours directed at reducing both the threat of gangs and criminal involvement.
Sessions are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., during which time the boys are taught about discipline and moral value, dealing with peer pressure, the danger that guns and drugs pose to society, penalties one will face if caught with guns or drugs, the importance of education, and time management.
According to SGT Adams, acting on its belief in positive holistic development, the Police Boys Club caters to the spiritual, physical and social needs of its members. He also declared that all members of the club participate in a spiritually-sound activity once monthly through the attendance of church as a group.
Hiking and fishing expeditions and sporting activities have become a regular part of the programme as well as vacation-based activities.
SGT Adams and his team also demonstrated that they are fully committed to the aims of the club of creating and maintaining significant and visible changes in the crime situation. To this end, they pay regular visits to the homes and schools of the club’s members to ensure a high level of discipline is maintained and that they are living by the establishment’s standards.
The programme, though effective, is experiencing a number of difficulties including the lack of funding, the lack of interest by the general public and also by some parents who do not ensure that their children attend sessions regularly.
Recognising the pivotal role which all can play in the effort, the staff of the Police Boys Club has made a call for community members to communicate with each other and work with the law enforcement agencies with a view to combating crime and maintaining a standard for their community’s appearance, which would let gangs know that they are unwelcomed.
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