Pay Attention to What Children do Outside the Home – Grant

Acting Commissioner of Police (ACP), Novelette Grant, is calling on parents to be more attentive to what their children do outside the home.

Mrs. Grant, who was speaking at a community forum on violence at Sandals Royal in Montego Bay on March 22, said that children could become susceptible to the wiles of criminal elements and get drawn into nefarious activities without the knowledge of parents.

“How you rear your children, how you treat them… the kind of values and the kind of lessons you are teaching them, are very important,” she pointed out.

“How you work with your children’s schools is very important. When the schools are asking for people to come in and be a part of their children’s development, please make yourselves available.

Please continue to have a presence in your children’s life outside of the home,” she noted further.

The Acting Commissioner advised parents not to ignore feedback about their children’s behaviour from teachers or community members.

She said that too often parents have adopted the “shoot the messenger” posture, refusing to pay heed to complaints and warning signs, and almost always to the detriment of the children.

“Please don’t abuse, please don’t curse, please don’t say people don’t like your children. What we are trying to do is to help you as a parent to steer your child in the way they should go,” she said.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Grant noted that crime in western Jamaica is being fueled by the lotto scam, the availability of guns, and young men who think it is cool to be a part of gangs. “When all three elements come together, the result is a lot of what we are seeing being played out in the region,” she argued.

She is appealing to persons to utilise the many avenues put in place for the reporting of criminal activities in their communities.

“There are many avenues for you to report without having to put yourself out there. We have Crime Stop, and we have other various ways. Use the media that is available to you,” she urged.