The long-running Drug Awareness Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Programme in the schools of Anguilla is continuing with much enthusiasm among the Royal Anguilla Police Force and the various teachers and students. Fresh evidence of this was seen during the graduation ceremony at Campus B of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School on Thursday, May 16.
Two students, Franchesca Hodge and Destiny Ritchie, speaking on behalf of the student body, made a strong appeal to Commissioner of Police, Mr Rudolph Proctor, for the programme to continue despite the cost, time and efforts of the Police. The arguments of the students pointed to the problems of drugs and violence affecting young persons, the negative impact on their productive lives and the future of the small Anguillian society.
Mr Proctor told the gathering that there was a need for positive action in addressing the needs of some of our young people to prevent them being over-run by drugs and gangs. He called for more educational programmes and youth centres in the communities, but advised that all places of recreation should be properly supervised as they were an attraction for drug dealers and criminal elements.
“I wish to assure all students that the D.A.R.E. programme is here to stay,” the Commissioner said. “The Royal Anguilla Police Force will continue to invest in, and to facilitate, the continuation of this programme. Additionally, we will continue to research and to shop around for other programmes that we can administer, in a similar way, to our schools and communities in a way that will impact our young people positively.”
Mr Proctor continued: “The Royal Anguilla Police Force, through the D.A.R.E. programme, is trying to make a positive contribution to steering young people from such deviant behaviour. The results of being involved in drugs, bullying and other forms of anti-social behaviour, continue to be a distraction in your development and to achieving your educational goals. It is therefore important that you focus on your goals and work towards a brighter future.
“The most successful drug traffickers ever known are in their graves or jails somewhere in the world. There are no real successful drug traffickers. At some point in time their associates will become informers about them – or assassins of them – so do not look in that direction. The same goes for those persons who are involved in gangs. The leaders are in graves or jails somewhere around the world, including Anguilla, so there is no future in gang activity as well.”
Commissioner Proctor added that “the D.A.R.E. programme is helping young people to critically assess and analyse situations and behavioural patterns before becoming involved in certain activities.” He was pleased to see the positive response the programme was receiving from the students. He was grateful to Officers Shawn Lake and Augustina Carbon for their continued hard work in conducting the programme, over the years, on behalf of the Police Force.
A number of students were presented with certificates, prizes and other awards for their outstanding contributions to the programme. They were specially commended by the Deputy Principal, Mrs Melsadis Fleming, during the delivery of remarks, as well as by Mr Gleason Brooks, a Teacher, who chaired the graduation ceremony.
