By Nagra Plunkett, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
MEMBER OF Parliament for North West St. James, Dr. Horace Chang, has renewed his call for a social intervention programme to address the upsurge of violence in the parish, especially in the densely populated areas in and around Montego Bay.
"The bottom line is that some money has to be invested in the inner-city communities in Montego Bay to give economic opportunities to the people in there, in particular the young males," Dr. Chang said. "We not only need job opportunities but also schooling... a lot of the young men involved in crimes are schoolboys."
Dr. Chang added, "I am going to re-table a parliamentary debate on the issues involved and again pursue vigorously with the Social Development Commission (SDC), some of the intervention we have been looking at for these communities."
As an immediate measure, Dr. Chang told The Gleaner that he would be working with the SDC to develop some community-based organisations even though they might take some time to get established. However, he admitted that while the groups may not solve all the problems, he expects that they will provide alternatives to crime to the communities.
Police statistics show that since the start of this year, 44 murders have been committed in St. James. In addition, there have been 63 robberies and 45 reported cases of shootings. The majority of the offences are concentrated in North West St. James, described by the security force as the parish's black spot.
"We have to make a decisive effort to reach out to the young men in our inner cities," Dr. Chang added.
