Condemnation, but no action on alleged ‘City kid thieves’

Two weeks after viral videos emerged of a woman organising three children to steal from City stores, there is still no indication whether the incidents are the subject of investigation by authorities.

But the Minister responsible for the Child Care Board (CCB) has condemned the videos and its adult mastermind – even though neither she, the police nor the children’s agency appear to have seen them.

Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Cynthia Forde wants the videos fully investigated and the adult involved made to be pursued by law enforcement.

“I want the heavy hand of the law to come down on those parents and for those children who are being pulled into that net to be given some measure of counselling. I want to see the video.

“People are talking about it but we have not actually seen it. But we want to have the details so that the CCB and the relevant law enforcement agency can take it on board and treat it as a matter of urgency.”

Two weeks ago, Barbados TODAY broke the story about the two viral videos showing a woman apparently leading three children to steal from the Swan Street businesses.

Police spokesman Sergeant Michael Blackman told Barbados TODAY then that he could neither confirm nor deny if police had seen those videos.

When contacted today, Sergeant Blackman said his response remained the same.

The Minister declared: “If you have young children, you would not want to expose your young children to the negativity. Once you start to inculcate that kind of habit in them, it will begin to blossom. We see it on video happening in other parts of the world and we condemn it. What about here?

“To steal from one another is bad enough, further more to take them into a store wherever the store is, or into anybody’s household, or anybody’s car that gives them a ride, to steal a purse. It is wrong.

“Our children must be taught the correct thing from the beginning. The Bible tells you train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb