Custos of Westmoreland likens youths without value to suicide bombers
WESTMORELAND, Jamaica — Custos of Westmoreland, Reverend Hartley Perrin has likened youths without value to suicide bombers.
“A youngster who has no hope, has now fear of police, gunshot, no fear of prison, no fear of death, he could be compared to a suicide bomber,” said Perrin, adding that “he has no sense of value and so taking a life means nothing to him”.
Perrin made the comparison on Wednesday as he addressed the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the $14-million administrative offices of the Transport Authority and the Inland Traffic Authority in Westmoreland.
He said crime is having a dilating effect on the parish of Westmoreland and the nation and “things must change and the sooner, the better”.
The clergyman further argued that a lack of engagement with youths is contributing to the high crime rate.
“While I am quick to declare that I am no social scientist or no sociologist, common sense and wisdom tell me that these despicable occurrences are out of the need for serious engagement with our young people and a restoration of values and hope for and in the future,” Perrin reasoned.
Up to Tuesday morning, according to a police source, the country’s murder tally since the start of the year stood at 746, compared to 619 for the same period last year.
Anthony Lewis
