Little boys guard guns

Boys, some as young as nine, are being used by gangland bosses to guard derelict freezers which contain arms and ammunition in Bagatelle, Diego Martin. This was the claim by a resident during a police town meeting at the Diego Martin Central community centre on Monday.

A resident said the nation’s children need to be more closely monitored from a very young age as they are being trained by the criminal element since as children (minors), these youngsters can’t be held legally accountable.

He claimed that young boys are being used to guard weapons caches and they are being lured to do so by the money these gang lords pay them. “They (the youths) need money. Their mother is not there, their father is not there...what you want them to do? No social worker isn’t coming to them,” he said, adding that many youths in Bagatelle are left to fend for themselves.

Head of Western Division Ag ACP Radcliffe Boxhill said among the major concerns police have in the area is the sporadic upsurge of violence among the criminal and gang elements. He said there was an upsurge in violence earlier in the year, “but we have taken action and sort of got it under control, but it is still not at an acceptable level. We will continue to work with the community to try to eliminate all acts of criminality, including the gang violence, from the environment of Diego Martin.”

He urged residents to attend the station council meetings, saying, “It is a mechanism by which members of the community can air their grievances or concerns and even make suggestions and offer solutions as to how we deal with some of the issues in the community. As I indicated, they do not have to wait for meetings like this. Station council meetings are held monthly and it is an opportunity to nip some of the situations in the bud instead of having them fester for lengthy periods of time and then bring it to a meeting such as this.”

Boxhill said all the complaints aired at the town meeting would be dealt with. Responding earlier to points made by the public, Boxhill said although the country is in “dire straits”, there were assurances that there would be increased funding for police youth clubs throughout the country. “So the situation that exists, once the money starts to flow, will no longer be the case.” In closing remarks, Supt Dominique told the more than 21 attendees that their concerns would not be swept under the carpet. “They are very serious concerns, and with members of the head table here, we will ensure that your concerns are addressed effectively and efficiently in a very timely manner.” He promised to provide feedback to the public in a timely manner about how their concerns had been dealt with.