National Peace Programme, education ministry to work closely on crime prevention initiative

he government’s National Peace Programme (NPP) is about to introduce a new crime prevention initiative, targeting schools, parents, and faith-based organisations, the minister responsible for crime prevention Corey Lane has revealed to Barbados TODAY.

 

He said the new programme will be working hand in glove with the Ministry of Education in targeting the schools.

“We have been in communication with them, we have put a number of proposals to them, and we will actually be collaborating and assisting them for sure,” Lane said.

 

The Minister of State in the Office of the Attorney General (with focus on Crime Prevention) said this fresh approach follows a detailed review of existing programmes aimed at addressing issues among at-risk youth and fostering a more peaceful society.

 

“One of the things that we have been doing was resetting, looking at what’s working, what needs improvement, what we need to enhance and what we need to increase. We are preparing now to do another thrust based on that research,” he said.

 

Lane explained that the initiative, which will work closely with the Criminal Justice Research and Planning Unit, is driven by evidence-based policies. He added that the focus will be on providing training, therapy, and other opportunities to those in need, based on the findings of their research.

 

The new programme will cast a wide net, targeting at-risk youth in both primary and secondary schools, and involving parents, according to the direction indicated by the research. The NPP will collaborate with the Ministry of Education to ensure its implementation within the school system.

 

“I don’t think that it is wise to wait until there are spikes or other things happening in the system to try to be reactionary. I think what is key is for us to continue to work with our young people and to provide opportunities for them… counselling, therapy, to be truly preventative,” Lane said.

 

Faith-based organisations are also expected to play a significant role in the revamped programme, with many religious groups expressing strong interest in contributing to the NPP’s crime prevention efforts.

 

“I really want to commend the faith-based organisations,” Lane said. “Recently, they have been reaching out in large numbers and in great magnitude in terms of how they can get involved. They have been hitting the streets with us… and, for the first time, I have seen a major thrust to go beyond the four walls of their synagogues, to really get involved in direct intervention; to hear the people, see the people, feel the people, work with the people…and this is across the spectrum – Muslims, Rastafarians, Christians, and others.”

In addition to these initiatives, Lane highlighted the success of the three-month-old Parent Wise Community Project, which aims to strengthen parenting skills among those from at-risk communities. The project, which will run for one year, is facilitated by several local organisations, including PAREDOS and the Barbados Association of Professional Social Workers.

 

“What they have done is actually target parents, who, within our cohorts, are delegates from the at-risk communities, to make sure that we get the type of parents that most need it,” Lane said.

 

The minister noted that many of the participants had never previously engaged in parenting programmes or attended parent-teacher association meetings. He praised the organisations for creating engaging and practical sessions, as well as the MENS Organisation’s podcast, which has attracted significant attention.

 

“I think we have really taken a different approach, and I am very happy with this approach and what I have seen from this approach so far,” Lane said, expressing his hope to expand the project in the coming months.

 

But the crime prevention minister cautioned that even with these efforts, a national approach is essential for tackling crime. Without a collective effort, he warned, it would be difficult to make a significant impact.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb