Clarendon Police to Host One-Week Summer Camp

The Clarendon Police will be hosting a one-week summer camp for youth from troubled communities, in an effort to improve relations with citizens and to offer guidance to the youngsters.
The camp, which will target young people age seven to 15 years, will be held from August 8 to 15 at the May Pen Police Station between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. each day.
Commanding Officer for Clarendon, Superintendent Derrick Knight, told JIS News that the camp was ultimately aimed at reducing crime in the parish.
“I’m expecting that at the end of the week, we would have built relationships, made some friends and broken down some barriers as it relates to police and citizens relations. This will impact in some way on reducing crime in the near and medium-term, because when I look at our juvenile court days, there are a large number of persons between the age of 11 and 15, who find themselves before the court,” he pointed out.
“These are the men and women of the future and if we don’t get to them now, we will be in more trouble, so we are reaching out to them from now,” Superintendent Knight added.
Some 150 youngsters are expected to participate in camp, which will be administered by the Community Relations Department. They will benefit from mediation and conflict resolution skills, issues surrounding sexual abuse and interpersonal relationships, and counselling in matters of discipline, ethics and decorum.
The youngsters will also participate in an excursion to Serenity Park and engage in art and craft activities.