THE Ministry of National Security, as part of efforts to fight crime, is seeking to establish a business incubation centre that would encourage and support entrepreneurship among young people, according to Senator Kern Spencer.

Spencer said discussions were underway between the police and corporate Jamaica for the establishment of a trust fund to finance the development of the facility.

“As I have indicated on several occasions, if we are going to really put a serious dent in this crime problem that we are facing, we are going to have to get the youth involvement correct,” he said.

Spencer was speaking on August 16 at the opening of the second annual ‘Challengers Camp’ at the Denbigh 4-H Training Centre in Clarendon.

According to Spencer, the centre would provide support for young people interested in opening a business. They would be provided with starting capital and the required mentorship, as the aim was to increase youth employment and reduce crime and violence, Spencer said.

Statistics, he said, showed that young people were responsible for 70 per cent of the country’s crimes, with 2,500 youngsters arrested in 2002 for major crimes.

“Last year, the trend was the same, and if we flip the coin, the young people are also the main victims of crime and violence in Jamaica and we’re going to have to move forward and correct this problem seriously and now,” he remarked.

Another crime fighting initiative he pointed to was the ‘police in schools’ programme, to involve the establishment of a unit within the Jamaica Constabulary Force. He said the programme would involve suitably trained officers to monitor school grounds and bus stops to ensure the safety of students.

Spencer explained that a critical component of the programme would be police officers acting as substitute teachers to assist in the delivery of the school curriculum.

“Not only would this initiative seek to enhance the current level of school security and support the provision of quality education within the school system, but I am convinced that this initiative would also address the increasing levels of violence within schools,” Spencer argued.

The permanent secretary added that the initiative would also improve “the levels of trust between the youth and the police, hence facilitating greater support for anti-crime initiatives within the country.”

The annual Challengers Camp is organised by Region II officers of the Department of Correctional Services and is designed to promote socially accepted behaviours among juvenile delinquents, who have been placed on probation orders.

A total of 36 boys aged 14-16 years, are participating in the one-week camp being held from August 16-20.

They will benefit from sessions in career training, drug awareness, anger management, money management, male/female relationships, healthy sexual lifestyles, social graces, art and craft, ‘You and the Law’ and games.