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Vendors, beware
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BY KIMMO MATTHEWS Sunday Observer staff reporter matthewsk@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, November 08, 2009
HEAD of the Clarendon Police Divison, Superintendent Dayton Henry, has said vendors who sell to students items bearing violent messages should face harsher penalties under the law.
It is an approach, the cop said, that could prove an effective short-term solution to limiting the sale of such items.
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| A badge depicting violence that was among several taken from vendors by the police in front of three schools in Kingston recently. |
"It will not be enough to stop this activity, but it is a start," Henry said.
As for the long-term solution, the Clarendon cop noted that Government would have to take the lead.
"Government will have to move to put in place more policies to address this latest issue and also other crime problems," he said.
The Constabulary Communication Network said there is currently no legislation in place to deal with the growing problem of vendors selling to students items with violent messages. However, individuals can be prosecuted under the Child Care and Protection Act if they are deemed to be engaging in any activity that could prove harmful to youths - bearing in mind the objectives of the act.
Those objectives, according to the Child Development Agency, include:
. to safeguard children from becoming at risk through advocacy of child rights and the development of public awareness of children's issues;
. to provide necessary and appropriate interventions for children who have been identified as at risk from neglect, abuse, trauma, disability or any other factor; and
. to ensure safety, security, growth and development of children and young people in the care of the state.
Meanwhile, Henry said that with the current crime situation facing the country, the time is now for lawmakers to go back to the drawing board.
"Authorities should start looking to put in place more policies or to strengthen those that are already there to intensify the fight against crime," he said.
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