1. BACKGROUND AND SITUATIONAL ISSUES
Violence particularly gun violence has become so prevalent among youth in Anguilla that it has deteriorated into a crisis evidenced by the escalation in homicides and severe injuries inflicted by young men in the Anguillian community on other young men.
The following observations are made and the points are identified as significant features of the crisis situation that should be taken into account in specifying appropriate and effective responses to the crisis that now besets the Anguillian community:
1) Gun violence among sections ofAnguilla’s young men reached crisis proportions in recent years and has now descended into a major social crisis threatening the stability of the Anguillian community and economy, demanding urgent and effective attention on a sustained basis.
2) There had been no major, immediate and sustained public cry of outrage and condemnation from public sector, private sector and civil society institutions to recent incidents.
3) The gun violence has become habitual among some sections of male Anguillian youth, especially members of or others closely associated with village based gangs, generally ranging in ages from their late teens to mid to late twenties.
4) There is a need to do more than issue symbolic public statements, calling on Anguilla’s young men, on parents, the Police, the Government, the churches and other influential institutions, and persons of goodwill in the community as a whole, to express their outrage and join together to do something about the male youth on male youth gun violence, threatening the lives of young men and the harmony of Anguillian society.
5) The gun violence crisis needs to be addressed in the wider context of dealing with the serious challenges facing youth including the growth of gangs, drug use and drug trafficking, the growth in juvenile delinquency and crime, and the weakening of and breakdown in and of the Anguillian family.
6) There is no sustained and sustainable multidimensional plan developed and under implementation or even in preparation to tackle the gun violence crisis and the wider crisis of among sections ofAnguilla’s youth.
7) Youth gun violence is a national problem that should transcend party politics and politicians should approach the issue from this point of view and seek to work with all politicians to collaborate in addressing it on a non-partisan, national basis.
8) It is apparent that there has been no comprehensive study of the causes, characteristics and frequency of gun violence, nor of a comprehensive programme to minimize or stamp out this criminal behavior that is perilous forAnguilla’s young men in particular and the society in general.
9) The gun violence not only threatens social peace and harmony, but also economic stability and growth, investor and business confidence.
10) The evolution and growth in gun violence coincides with the development ofAnguilla’s economy since 1980 and the erosion of traditional family values and relationships and the weakening of the family structure during the period.
11) Gun violence is an extreme form but not the only form of violence among male youth, there being other forms of violence among youth in general to consider, including bullying and abuse by older members of the Anguilliancommunity.
12) Youth on youth violence, especially gun violence, is a symptom of deep seated issues of social dysfunction and disequilibrium in Anguillian society.
13) Responses to the menace of gun violence have been mainly symbolic, reactionary and “knee jerk” in nature, with little or no continuity and sustained actions.
14) A key long term aim should be to keep the next generation from perpetuating the culture of youth gangs and violence directed against each other.
2. MAJOR ASPECTS OF GUN VIOLENCE AMONGANGUILLA’S YOUNG MEN
The main features of gun violence amongAnguilla’s young men include the following:
1) It occurs among male youth mainly between ages 15 and 25 years old.
2) It is endemic among youth gang members and youth closely associated with gangs or perceived to be members or close affiliates of gangs.
3) Former gang members and youth between 15 and 25 are at higher risk of becoming innocent victims of the gun violence and criminal violence.
4) The causes of the violence are varied,may include drug trafficking and use, defense of village turf, and other factors that need to be thoroughly investigated.
5) Male youth gun violence has developed over an extended period of time to what it has become as a result of diverse factors, the impact of which needs to be assessed by research and analysis.
3. STATEMENT AND ACKOWLEDGEMENT OF THE ISSUE
THE INCIDENCE OF CRIMINAL VIOLENCE, GENERAL VIOLENCE AND DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR HAS INCREASED ALARMINGLY, ESPECIALLY GUN CRIME AND VIOLENCE AMONG MALE YOUTH INANGUILLAAND HAS REACHED CRISIS PROPORTIONS. THE CRISIS NEEDS TO BE URGENTLY ADDRESSED, THE TREND REVERSED AND THE ANGUILLIAN COMMUNITY RESTORED TO NORMALCY AND STABILITY.
THE CRIMINAL VIOLENCE, GENERAL VIOLENCE AND DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR THAT IS NOW BESETTING THE ANGUILLIAN COMMUNITY DID NOT DEVELOP OVERNIGHTAND WILL NOT BE ERADICATED NOR REDUCED TO A MINIMUM OVERNIGHT.
THE INCREASE IN VIOLENCE AND DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR IS THE RESULT OF A NUMBER OF CAUSES AND UNDERLYING FACTORS, WHICH NEED TO BE RESEARCHED, IDENTIFIED, ASSESSED AND SOLUTIONS RECOMMENDED.
AN INTEGRATED, MULTI-FACETED AND MULTI-DISCIPLINARY APPROACH AND PROGRAMME ARE NEEDED TO END THE CRISIS, RESTORE, MAINTAINAND SUSTAIN SAFETY, PEACE, HARMONY AND FREEDOM IN THE SOCIETY.
4. VISION
4.1 A PEACEFUL, UNITED, HARMONIOUS ANGUILLIAN COMMUNITY
THE ANGUILLIAN COMMUNITY IS A MORALLY STRONG, LAW ABIDING, LOW CRIME, NON-VIOLENT, SAFE,PEACEFUL, UNITED, HARMONIOUS, PATRIOTIC,TRANSPARENT, JUST, AND FREESOCIETY, WHICHHONOURS THE SANCITITY OF HUMAN LIFE IN GENERAL,AND ESPECIALLY THE LIVES AND PERSONS OF ALL OF ITS MEMBERS.
4.2 ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS PURSUINGPEACE, UNITY, HARMONY
ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS AREDEEPLY ENGAGED IN:
1) PROMOTING, NURTURING, PRESERVING, IMPROVING, DEVELOPING AND MAINTAINING THE ANGUILLIAN COMMUNITY AS A MORAL, NOBLE, PROUD, STRONG AND FREE SOCIETY;
2) PROVIDING PRINCIPLED AND PURPOSEFUL LEADERSHIP AND COOPERATING AND PARTNERING WITH THE VARIOUS SOCIAL STAKEHOLDERS;
3) EFFECTIVELY AND CONSISTENTLY ADVOCATING FOR AND PROMOTINGA STRONG MORAL FOUNDATION, LAW AND ORDER, NON-VIOLENCE, SAFETY, PEACE, UNITY, HARMONY, PATRIOTISM, TRANSPARENCY, JUSTICE AND FREEDOM AS HALLMARKS OF THE ANGUILLIAN NATION.
5. SUCCESS INDICATORS
Strategic programmes to eradicate or minimizeviolence and crime inAnguilla, especially gun violence and crime among Anguillian young men, will be successful when:
i) Gun violence and gun crime have been greatly reduced, especially among young men between the ages of 15 – 30 years old and their occurrence has become rare in the Anguillian community and this is supported by the statistics.
ii) An effective system of gun control has been implemented and working, and the problem of possession of unlicensed and illegal firearms has been brought under control, weapons are traced, confiscated and destroyed, the ownerscharged and heavily sanctioned.
iii) Gangs and the gang culture among Anguillian youth have been greatly reduced, their appeal to youth destroyed and they no longer pose a significant challenge to the non-violence, peace, unity, harmony and freedom ofAnguillian society.
iv) Positive, creative andwholesome social, athletic,cultural and educational action plansare combined into an integrated youth development and socialization programmeand implemented, is popular and effective,and supplant and provide powerful and attractive alternatives to the activities, culture and lure of gangs.
v) Anti-gang, anti-gun, and anti-violence communication, public relations and educational programmes are developed and implemented and are effective as measured by the results of periodic social surveys.
vi) Family values are continuously promoted, community awarenessand acceptance of family values is increased, family life is promoted, the family is strengthened,parents prioritize their responsibility for parenting, and the community is involved in and takes responsibility for supporting parents in bringing up their children.
vii) The crime statistics show a declining crime rate that stabilizes at a rate that is among the lowest by world standards.
viii) Anational consensus on the core values and guiding principles of the Anguillian communityis achieved, and the values and principles are renewed and affirmed by each succeeding generation and are capable of periodic measurement.
ix) Anguillian society is more integrated, harmonious and united and its members are more prideful and imbued with a high degree of patriotism, national and cultural awareness and a sense of identity.
x) Respect for the law, respect for each other and for authority is increased especially among the youth of the community.
xi) A national consensus is achieved on standards of public ethical conduct in the public sector, the private sector and civil society and the standards are generally accepted and guide those involved in leading and administering and operating institutions in the public and private sectors and civil society.
xii) Parents and the wider society accept that the main and immediate responsibility rests with parentsto raise and socialize their children, that the rest of the immediate family and the various institutions within the community of which the parents are members provide support and assistance to them in socializing and bringing up their children and that the oft repeated African proverb “it takes a village to raise a child” is practiced and is the norm.
6. MISSION
6.1 THE ANGUILLIAN COMMUNITY
THE ANGUILLIAN COMMUNITY EFFECTIVELY EDUCATES, TRAINS, TEACHES AND SOCIALIZES THE MEMBERS OF EACH SUCCEEDING GENERATIONIN THE MORAL VALUES AT THE FOUNDATION OF THE SOCIETY AND AS A RESULT THEY:
• ACQUIRE A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF, AND A STRONG BELIEF IN AND COMMITMENT TO THE UNIVERSAL MORAL PRINCIPLES OF RIGHT AND WRONG, WHICH HAVE GUIDED OUR ANGUILLIAN COMMUNITY THROUGHOUT ITS HISTORY.
• DEVELOP A FUNDAMENTAL RESPECT AND REVERENCE FOR HUMAN LIFE AND ARE MOTIVATED TO SEEK TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE LIFE RATHER THAN DESTROY IT.
• ENGAGE IN BEHAVIOUR THAT IS STRONGLY INFLUENCED AND GUIDED BY THE MORAL VALUES OF THE COMMUNITY.
• SHOW RESPECT, CONCERN, CARING AND LOVE TOWARDS EACH OTHER, THEIR COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE, AND TO ALL PEOPLE
• PASS ON TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF YOUTH THE CORE VALUES AND PRINCIPLES OF THE COMMUNITY THAT HAVE SUSTAINED IT OVER THE GENERATIONS.
• PROMOTE, MAINTAIN AND SUSTAIN NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY CONSCIOUSNESS, PRIDE, UNITY, HARMONY, PEACE, LAW AND ORDER, SAFETY AND SECURITY ACROSS THE GENERATIONS.
• DEVELOP A SENSE OF DUTY AND RESPONSIBILITY TO PRESERVE AND ENHANCE THE CORE OF THE ANGUILLIAN CULTURE AND WAY OF LIFE AND PASS IT ON TO THE NEXT GENERATION
6.2 THE PUBLIC SECTOR, PRIVATE SECTOR AND CIVIL SOCIETY PARTNERS
THE PUBLIC SECTOR, PRIVATE SECTOR AND CIVIL SOCIETY PARTNERS (ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS):
• PROVIDE PRINCIPLED, CONSISTENT AND FEARLESS LEADERSHIP.
• ENGAGE ADMINISTRATIVELY AND OPERATIONALLY IN UNDERTAKING AND/OR SUPPORTING THE PROGRAMMES AND PROCESSES EMPLOYED NATIONALLY AND IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES ACROSS ANGUILLATO ACHIEVE AND SUSTAIN THE REDUCTION IN VIOLENCE, DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR AND CRIME, ESPECIALLY GUN VIOLENCE AND CRIME.
• WORK TO RESTORE, BUILD AND STRENGTHEN THE ANGUILLIAN COMMUNITY’S MORAL FOUNDATIONS, LAW AND ORDER, NON-VIOLENCE, SAFETY, SECURITY, UNITY, HARMONY, PEACE, JUSTICE, TRANSPARENCY AND FREEDOM IN THE COMMUNITY.
• PROMOTE AND DEVELOP AMONG YOUTH ESPECIALLY, THE HIGHEST RESPECT FOR THE SANCTITY OF LIFE AND FOR EACH MEMBER OF THE ANGUILLIAN COMMUNITY AS AN INDIVIDUAL.
7. KEY FUNCTIONS
Key functions that need to be undertaken to ensure the effective planning, execution and the short and long term success of strategic plans, programmes and action plans to deal with violence and destructive behavior, especially among male youth in the community with an immediate and short term focus on gun violence and crime and destructive and delinquent behavior include :
1) RESEARCH, PLANNING, MANAGEMENT AND COORDINATION
i) Leadership, coordination and integration of the resources, thinking and programmes of the various partner institutions and agencies in the public and private sectors and civil society pursuing solutions and responses to the crisis.
ii) Research, investigation and analysis of the violent behavior among youth inAnguillaand in the community as a whole and of its causes.
iii) Strategic and operational planning and management on a multi-agency, multi-disciplinary and inter-sectoral basis to ensure the best value for money and the greatest effectiveness of the combined initiatives to address the problem and various issues associated with it.
2) PARENTING, SOCIALIZATION ANDEDUCATION
i) Strengthening and further developing and implementingprogrammes in family life education, parenting and child raising, awareness building and understanding of the challenges of socialization and informal and formal education and training of youth to be well adjusted, adaptable and easily integrated in the changing social and cultural environment of Anguilla.
ii) Development, adoption and implementation of sustained and specific programmes and initiatives to counter gangs and gang culture geared particularly towards youth in different age ranges with a focus on youth in the vulnerable age ranges, both those within gangs and those outside of gangs and risk of being pressured into joining gangs.
iii) Development, adoption and implementation of sustained, multi-agency and multi-dimensional anti-drug programmes.
iv) Increased focus on the development, adoption, integration and implementation of programmes and curricula geared to promote, encourage and generate national and cultural awareness and a sense of pride and belonging to a the Anguillian community as a people and a nation sharing a common identity, goals and aspirations around which ite members are unified.
v) Develop a consensus on those values that should constitute the core of the permanent moral foundations of Anguillian society and implement integrated programmes that ensure that succeeding generations are steeped and fully socialized and exposed to these values that they become part of who they are as Anguillians.
3) LAW, ORDER AND SECURITY
i) High value and priority are accorded to ensuring the ongoing functioning ofAnguillaas a law abiding and orderly society, characterized by a strong sense of and actual existence of a high degree of safety, security, non-violence, peace, harmony, justice, equity and freedom, in which crime remains low over the long term.
ii) Strong partnership and close collaboration and cooperation are developed between the institutions responsible for law enforcement, security, legal and judicial operations and also with the social development agencies both in the public sector and in civil society.
iii) Institutional, structural and legal reformsare introduced to make the agencies more responsive and better geared strategically and operationally to effectively deal with the problem of criminal violence.
iv) The capacity of Royal Anguilla Police Force is expanded and strengthened and it effectively meets the challenges posed by the rising tide of criminal gun violence and other forms of violence and reduces the risk to citizens.
4) RESOURCE ALLOCATION AND MOBILIZATION
i) Identification, allocation, mobilization and utilization of the requisite financial and other resources to enable the strategic programme and action plans to be effectively implemented.
ii) Development and implementation of a financing strategy that relies on financial and in kind resources contributed by the public sector, private sector and civil society and their use determined jointly by representatives of the partners in the three sectors.
5) HUMAN RESOURCES
i) Develop and implement a strategy to recruit, incentivize, reward and retain trained, experienced, highly motivated, smart and diligent employees at the management, professional and the technical and administrative support levels to lead, drive and successfully undertake the agreed programmes.
ii) Develop and coordinate a strategy to tap into the voluntary and charitable sector within civil society to access volunteers to support and undertake programmes geared to address the violence.
6) NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS, PRIDE AND UNITY
Infuse into the formal educational curricula at all levels and into informal and non-formal education material that aims to generate national consciousness, pride, patriotism and national unity among the succeeding generations.
8. GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A PLAN TO DEAL WITH MALE YOUTH GUN VIOLENCE AND YOUTH VIOLENCE IN GENERAL
The following are general recommendations that flow from identification of the characteristics of gun violence including but not limited to those listed herein:
i) Implement a comprehensive social investigation and research process to assess and determine the causes, characteristics and consequences of youth gun violence and other forms of violence among youth.
ii) Develop and recommend for implementation an appropriate plan to reduce and minimize gun violence and other forms of violence among youth and work with at risk youth to embrace the pursuit of personal development into responsible, law abiding and productive citizens.
iii) Promote, organize and participate in a national coalition of public sector, private sector, civil society and political organizations committed to working on a non-partisan, collaborative and sustained basis to carry out a carefully thought out plan to deal with the problems and meet the challenges.
iv) The responses by the community to the violence should be separated into an immediate response plan, medium term and long term response programmes, and the immediate response plan should be determined and its implementation should predate the conduct of a proposed research and investigative project and the development of a comprehensive,strategic plan to address the violence long term.
v) Considerable resources should be allocated to combating the violence, and to financing the costs for paid and voluntary human resources supplying managerial, technical and professional expertise in dealing with juvenile violence in general and gun violence in particular, as well as knowledge and experience in communication, marketing and promotion.
vi) A systematic, multifaceted and broad based programme should be developed and put into effect that involves all segments of Anguillian society in the public, private and civic sectors over an extended period of time with components geared to participation by individuals, families, churches, schools, government agencies (especially law enforcement, judicial, and social stabilization and development agencies) youth organizations, sports clubs, charitable and philanthropic service clubs, village communities, and the Anguillian community as a whole, together with partner agencies and individuals from overseas.
9. MEDIUM TERM AND LONG TERM GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
i) Revise the applicable laws and regulations to strengthen the crime interdiction and prevention powers of the Police to reduce gun violence and related crimes.
ii) Encourage, support and participate in collaborative efforts involving the Police, the legal and judicial departments of the Government, the private sectors legal profession, other law enforcement bodies, the penal system, with social services and social development agencies of the Government and with private sector and civil society stakeholders, to develop a consensus and adopt a team approach in addressing violence, destructive and delinquent behavior especially gun violence.
iii) Expand and strengthen the capacity of the judicial system to effectively handle the challenges posed by gun violence.
iv) Develop a comprehensive national strategy, plan and programmes involving all stakeholders to deal with the issues and challenges of reducing gun violence, juvenile delinquency, gangs and gang culture, destructive and inappropriate behavior among youth, aligned with and supplementing the strategy and plans of the Police Force.
v) Increase funding to the Police and other government agencies involved to enable them to meet the additional costs of implementing the fight against gun violence among youth, reduce the strength and menace of gangs, and reduce the trafficking and use of drugs among youth inAnguilla.
vi) Develop and strengthen the capacity of the correctional institutions and facilities to rehabilitate and to stimulate offenders to change from negative and destructive behaviours to law abiding and positive behaviours.
vii) Implement a programme to greatly reduce and eliminate illegal guns, and reduce the number of guns among the population.
viii) Develop and launch programmes to reduce and/or eliminate the illegal sports of dog fighting and cock fighting.
ix) Identify and shut down drug houses and the haunts of addicted drug users.
x) Increase the penalties for violent crimes, gun crimes in particular.
xi) Institute amnesties from prosecution, from time to time, for the surrender of illegal guns and other offensive weapons requiring licenses.
xii) Strengthen the human resource capacities of all public, private and civil society agencies that are fighting against gun violence and juvenile delinquency and provide them with reinforcements.
xiii) Study the principles, strategies and action plans implemented by various agencies in Caribbean countries, and in local communities in theUSA,Canada, theUKto reduce and prevent crime, especially violent crimes by young people.
xiv) Examine the feasibility of making parents liable, along with their children who are minors, under certain circumstances for serious crimes committed by their children and take appropriate action on the findings.
xv) Periodic national consultations should be held (perhaps annually), among organizations and groups desirous of reducing gun violence, to review the challenge, evaluate the impacts of actions taken to reduce the problem and agree on changes to the ongoing progamme to combat it.
10. PROPOSALS FOR SPECIFIC, SHORT, MEDIUM LONG TERM ACTIONS
i) Security camera coverage around villages identified as home turf for gangs and as high risk areas for the occurrence of violent incidents and of crimes. Fund raising across the community should be considered to procure and install cameras
ii) Anti-violence school events at the ALHCS.
iii) Community outreach programmes.
iv) Training of community activists in anger management and conducting anger management programmes for youth assessed to need such therapy.
v) Use of community centres and church halls as venues for programmes and events forming part of the campaign to curb and erase gun violence before it becomes a scourge rooted in Anguillian society.
vi) An increased police presence on weekends and holidays in trouble spots (especially to limit abuse of alcohol and deter drug trafficking).
vii) Expanded emergency services on weekends to meet the peak level demand for these services.
viii) Involve the various music groups, primarily the jam/dance bands with their fan bases and bring them together to collaborate in calling on youth to reject guns and gun violence and promoting an end to such violence.
ix) Promote the cessation of hostility and pursuit of peace between gangs from the western and eastern districts ofAnguillaand organize functions to build trust and promote harmony and unity as one people, Anguillians.
x) Ecumenical and evangelical initiatives by the Christian churches including crusades focused on gang members and other youth at risk.
xi) Strengthening and expansion of community based vigilance and crime watch operations to the prime locations, where the risk of youth gun violence is highest and provision of vigilance training to volunteers (observing vehicle numbers and reporting to the Police the presence of suspicious vehicles in the neighbourhood).
xii) Occupational therapy.
xiii) Adoption of official slogans – “Less Talk more Action”, “Badness out a Style” – and public service announcements directing listeners’/viewers’ attention to the gravity of the occurrence and the threat of youth gun violence and calling all to action to drastically curb it.
xiv) Tee shirt campaigns.
xv) Study and learn from the Gang Reduction Programme (GRP) of the US Department of Justice, adopt and adapt strategies from its Five-pronged Approach to Gang Reduction, assessed to be workable inAnguillato assist in reducing gangs here:
a) Primary Prevention: Provides community services to youth in high risk, high crime areas – afterschool activities, arrest of truancy and drop out.
b) Secondary Prevention: for 7 – 14 year olds at high risk – combined services delivered before the onset of delinquent behavior.
c) Intervention: Targets active gang members and close associates with support services.
d) Suppression: Removing the most dangerous and influential gang members from the community.
e) Reentry: Services provided to offenders following release from confinement.
11. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMMEDIATERESPONSE
i) Public sector, private sector and civil society agencies and institutions should be convened and a national consultation held among them, as a matter of urgency, and the findings and recommendations presented to Government.
ii) Regular communication should be established with the Hon. Hubert Hughes, Chief Minister and Leader of Government Business in the House of Assembly in keeping with the nonpartisan approach proposed for dealing with the gun violence problem and recommendations should be made for action on an ongoing programme to reverse the incidence of this scourge.
iii) Use of the radio and television media should be maximized for politicians, public servants, private sector and civil society representatives and concerned citizens to make broadcastsabout gun violence setting out various ideas for a non-partisan national approach to dealing with the problem.
iv) Engage in face to face interaction and discussions, about gun violence and the various other challenges youth face, between representatives of organizations involved in combating youth violence and young people themselves, especially perpetrators and victims of the violence, and those at risk of committing such acts or becoming the victims.
v) A nonpartisan motion should be moved and unanimously approved by the House of Assembly by both the Government and Opposition representing a consensus of the House for a broad based national response to the issue.
vi) Organizations and individuals of goodwill opposed to the criminal violence and violence in general should express their views and let their voices be heard in the press and on radio and television especially at this time when the entire country is focussed singularly on this issue.
vii) Youth organizations should be called on and encouraged to speak out publicly against gun violence and to focus much of their time and resources at this time making their contributions to the necessary and urgent fight against the scourge of gun violence in particular and violence in general among youth in the Anguillian community.
12. SUGGESTED PARTIAL LIST OF ISSUES THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED IN THE DEBATE ON THE MOTION IN THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
i) A medium term and long term national, non-partisan, multi faceted and multidimensional strategy, plan and programme to combat gun violence and related criminal and antisocial behavior.
ii) Investigation, analysis and development of new social development legislation including parenting legislation that makes parents liable for crimes and other misdemeanors of their minor children, patterned after the Education Act.
iii) Public education and the raising of consciousness about the threat of male youth gun violence, what can be done and is being done about it and the actions that can be taken by people in their different roles and their varied stations in the society.
iv) Strengthening the powers and the human capacity of the Police Force and supporting and cooperating with the Force in their efforts to curb the violence.
v) Direct engagement, interaction and ongoing communication and collaboration with young people especially those directly involved in gangs and youth on youth violence as perpetrator and as victim, as well as at risk youth not yet caught up in the violence.
vi) Curbing and mitigation of the violence by and among youth by a multi agency strategy, of which law enforcement plays a lead role.
vii) External assistance to strengthen law enforcement and related areas.
viii) Public discourse and discussion on the issues pertaining to youth gun violence.
ix) Suitable organizational arrangements to facilitate and enable the national programme against youth gun violence to succeed.
x) Use of ICT to gather and review vital information on the violence and the efforts to fight against it.
xi) Investigative research on the reach of the drugs trade among youth, gang members in particular and its impact on the gun violence.
xii) Identification of the communities, “Hot Spots”, that feature prominently in the gang and gun violence, and focus programmes in them, tailored to their specific circumstances.
PREPARED BY THEANGUILLAUNITED FRONT
JUNE 14, 2012
