Trelawny Response Team to Address Unemployment and Crime

A response team comprising representatives from state and private sector agencies, began a tour of communities in Trelawny today, with the aim of addressing social problems such as crime and violence and unemployment.
The team comprises business operators, representatives from agencies such as HEART Trust/ NTA, National Youth Service (NYS), Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), Victim Support Unit, Crime Management Unit and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) among others, who will be going into the various communities in an effort to reach out to young people, said Member of Parliament for Northern Trelawny, Dr. Patrick Harris.
He told JIS News, that the aim was to provide young people with the necessary skills to gain employment in light of the development projects slated for the parish. “We are in for the most prosperous period of our history and we have to prepare ourselves individually and as a community. Prosperity is within our reach and we have to reach out with both hands and grasp it,” he stated.
The increased job opportunities, he opined, should address the recent upsurge in crime in the parish.
Dr. Harris also mentioned that the response team would also be extending its services to the schools, as the Trelawny Health Department and guidance counsellors will be working with students to achieve positive outcomes.
“In order to achieve the best results, we will not just focus on the youth within the communities but we will be focusing on our students in the school system as well. We have to identify those students with behavioural problems so that if it is a mental, social, or economical issue, it can be addressed before the situation worsens,” he explained.
Dr. Harris is appealing to members of the public to work with the Trelawny response team and help to chart the course of the young people in the parish. “With this response team approach we intend to change our community forever,” he stated.