As 2015 draws to a close, the police are concerned about the practice of parents leaving their children at home unsupervised.As 2015 draws to a close, the police are concerned about the practice of parents leaving their children at home unsupervised.

Police have said the cases have increased, especially during the holiday season. They cite Ocho Rios in St Ann as one area in which the numbers are especially high.

This, the police believe, is due to the scant disregard that parents continue to show towards their children

Deputy Superintendent Gary McKenzie, who is attached to the St Ann division, is unhappy with the situation.

“Parents are still not doing enough to protect minors. The absence of parental care, monitoring and guidance continue to result in minors being exposed to abuse and being abused,” McKenzie told the Jamaica Observer.

“These include being raped, robbed, coerced into consuming drugs, among other illegal acts,” said McKenzie.

The police have said this kind of irresponsible behaviour is also resulting in minors engaging in activities which they ought not to, for example, attending dances and clubs, consuming alcohol and engaging in sexual activities.

“This unfortunate situation is playing out in an even more startling manner in the festive season,” McKenzie said.

McKenzie said that the most recent event took place on Christmas Eve in the town of Ocho Rios when several minors had to be removed from a number of dances and other events.

“In one instance a 13-year-old boy was seen with a cup and when the contents of it were scrutinised, it was found that he was consuming alcohol,” said one police officer.

In another case, a 15-year-old girl was sexually assaulted when she and a 16-year-old boy went on to a dimly lit playing field together and were attacked.

“The girl was sexually assaulted,” the police confirmed.

Authorities said that as they move to clamp down on the problem, when parents and guardians are spoken to about the issue, they more often than not accept that they need to do more.

“The reaction from some parents is that the minors should know better and refuse to do better,” McKenzie said while pointing out that the excuse was unacceptable.

“ The issue is not whether the minors know what they should or should not do. The issue is that parents and guardians must carry out their parental responsibilities. As a society we cannot afford to continue in this way. We must care for, develop and nurture our minors properly,” McKenzie said.

“From the police perspective, we cannot allow parents and guardian to neglect minors, take them into adult spaces and then ignore them to engage in dysfunctional activities. The police, whilst offering as much help as possible to nurture youth, will simultaneously place children before the courts who are in need of care and protection, place parents/guardians before the court who neglect to care for children and who by their actions/non actions cause harm to minors,” McKenzie said.

“Let us therefore exercise the required level of responsibilty in caring for minors so that we can improve their safety and well being,” the senior police man stated.