YOUTH INVOLVEMENT IN CRIME |
St. Vincent Times, 17th February 2024
Fortunately, there are different forms of access for citizens to report crime, with hotlines in Barbados (Crime Stoppers) and Grenada, that offer some level of anonymity. In October 2023, Enville Williams, Commissioner of Police (CoP) in St. Vincent & the Grenadines, promised to reinstitute a hotline for citizens to report crime amidst concerns of increasing crime. Media houses get stories about crime from court and police reports when they can. But they also depend on tips, first-hand and eyewitness accounts for crime stories. This creates more potential security and safety exposure for both the journalist and sources alike. In practice, the unwillingness of eyewitnesses to come forward can be a limitation particularly where the fear of reprisal is higher, and crimes seem to be getting more violent. Getting statistical data and officials to speak on record in Grenada can be problematic and the media does not benefit from regular, timely releases and briefings In Grenada, briefings and releases about youth crime are rare and again, often not timely. Prior to 2018 media used to get a daily “Police Blotter” report on crime which was invaluable for news stories and reports as the information was always current. Reports are that the cessation of the blotter was coincident with a regime change. In contrast, things have improved over the last 5 years in St. Vincent & the Grenadines particularly in the last 18 months during the period of March 2022 to June 2023. The Royal St Vincent and The Grenadines Police force now convene regular press conferences and weekly press releases on criminal activity. Barbados too demonstrates a structured approach inviting media houses press briefings and do daily releases from the Government Information Service and stories on youth crime are released once the “youth” is not a juvenile or child. However, there is no Access to Information Act/Freedom of information Act, so it isn’t easy to access data promptly as there is no obligation for such information to be released.
A Media Analysis of the Coverage of Youth Involvement in Crime and Violence and Trafficking in Persons (June 2021 to June 2023) in the Eastern Caribbean 31
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