EDITORIAL: Help to keep our society safe
Monday night’s shooting and death of Dwayne Lyndon Dublin is one of the more recent criminal investigations being undertaken by the Royal Barbados Police Force, which has sent out a notice to the public requesting any person with information about the incident to please come forward.
This appeal is seen frequently in the media to the point where it may go unnoticed. However, it is crucial that Barbadians pay attention and assist whenever they are able. The fight against crime is not a spectator sport, to be watched or read about in the media for its sensational storyline alone. Instead, the fight against crime calls for the involvement of more than just law enforcement officers and members of the judiciary, it calls for the co-operation of every individual in society.
It is true that in most instances the battle against criminals is fought on a military front with armed forces. And in the case with dangerous criminals, members of the public are discouraged from engaging in confrontations and apprehensions are left in the hands of law enforcement. However, very often these apprehensions would not be possible without the benefit of intelligence gathered from sources, including civilians on the ground in communities. It is in this regard that every citizen of this country has an obligation to assist whenever possible, to supply information leading to the arrest and capture of known criminals or leading towards a resolution in a criminal case.
To this end, all are urged to support local non-profit organisation Crime Stoppers Barbados, which is charged with co-ordinating such a task – encouraging and facilitating the sharing of information which would assist in solving local crimes. Over the years Crime Stoppers has been instrumental in solving hundreds of cases and have led to numerous charges being laid. The group has even gone futher, by seeking to be more proactive and implementing programmes such as the “Combatting Crime and Violence through Youth Empowerment” project, used to prevent crime from occurring by educating and sensitising the public, and the youth in particular, about the negative consequences of crime.
The organisation also aimed to include social network media in its efforts to provide children and teenagers with a forum to discuss the negative issues in their environments and allow them to give feedback as to what mechanisms would help address these concerns.
This type of initiative is what is needed if the scourge of crime is to be reduced, if not eliminated, from this society. Persons need to realise that crime is not something that happens to someone else, it affects everyone to some extent. Therefore, everyone should get involved in providing relevant information about crimes to the Royal Barbados Police Force or Crime Stoppers Barbados, and make use of the projects and efforts of social organisations that seek to reform deviant persons or educate and empower those in at-risk environments.
In the final analysis, it is all too true that “If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem”.