![The Westmoreland Police Division is looking to increase the number of police youth clubs across the parish to 17 by the end of 2022.
Commanding Officer for the Division, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Robert Gordon, made the disclosure during a recent visit to the community of Carawina in Petersfield.
SSP Gordon noted that there are four active police youth clubs in Westmoreland, establishment of three others is under way, and another 10 clubs will come on stream before year end.
He noted that the initiative is part of the community policing strategy aimed at positively engaging the youth and to stem the upsurge of crime in Westmoreland.
“So, we are looking at all perspectives to treat with the [crime] situation,” he said, noting that the police are seeking to reach youngsters as early as primary school.
“There is one [youth club] at Kew Park where… even the smaller children are a part of that club,” he pointed out.
SSP Gordon indicated that in addition to the youth clubs, the Westmoreland police will continue to engage youngsters through its mentorship programme.
He noted that the initiative, which started prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, targeted students from grades three to six.
“We [are] planning to move this initiative into other institutions. The template is there, and we will be going into other schools. So, with those [initiatives] together with the operational output that we will be having, we expect to see a better 2022 in comparison to 2021,” he said.
In the meantime, the Westmoreland Commanding Officer is appealing to residents to work with the police to weed out criminal elements, who continue to plague the parish, noting that addressing crime requires “all hands on deck”.
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Police Youth Clubs…2
“Before a crime happens, somebody knows; when it happens, somebody else knows and after it happens, others know,” SSP Gordon pointed out.
“So, we want individuals, who know, to find a way to indicate to us so we can get evidence to meet the judicial threshold that is required to put persons before the courts successfully,” he added.](https://jis.gov.jm/media/2022/01/Robert-Gordon.jpg?v=1641935742)
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