BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The fight against crime goes on. Varying reports suggest that countries within the region are facing escalating levels of crime – some unarguably more alarming than others. The crimes vary from drug trafficking to firearms, theft and bodily harm, as well as cyber-crimes. Three interdependent approaches to countering this scourge bear heavily on the mind. Firstly, it’s a fight of morality. The reasons put forward for social degeneration have been the diminishing involvement and effect the church has in the raising and grounding of wholesome families, as well as the shift away from moral principles which it advocates. Added to this is a breakdown in parent–teacher relations which once saw parents actively involved in their child’s education and saw teachers going beyond the stipulations of the employment contract to impart other social and life skills into their pupils. Another factor to contend with is changes within family structures such as the diminishing role of the extended family in child-rearing. Furthermore, our children are heavily targeted and – left unrestrained by authority figures – can be influenced by criminals, resulting in lives held in bondage to substance abuse, theft and other indiscretions. One mistake has been to limit this lifestyle to the block culture and to traditional “hot spot” communities. With greater awareness of how crimes are evolving we see that the fight is taking place within white collar institutions, law enforcement operations and sadly even within some churches.
