KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Ministry of National Security’s ‘Shoot Hoops, Not Guns’ basketball initiative’ is being hailed by State Minister Juliet Cuthbert Flynn as an effective crime prevention strategy.

This engagement is being undertaken in partnership with the Jamaica Basketball Association (JaBA) and the University of Technology Jamaica (UTech), with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funding support.

Cuthbert Flynn, who noted that the initiative targets mindset changes in children towards crime through sports, underscored its importance as an intervention to connect with the younger generation.

“We have to find creative ways to really reach persons. We’re in a different time with our kids… they are more creative. They have so many distractions, for example, the internet… so we have to disrupt them mentally,” she said.

Cuthbert Flynn said the basketball initiative has had a great impact on the students who have been engaged.

“We see our children getting involved and learning how to be team players… I think that is so important… being a team player in anything. I think it’s one way to really get our kids to learn new ways of doing things… how to work with each other, instead of fighting,” she pointed out.

The ministry has crisscrossed communities that are in their 34 schools inter-ministerial strategy with the programme.

“These are basketball rallies that we have. We’ve been to Mountain View Primary, [and] schools in Norman Gardens [and] Whitfield Town. People mention, sometimes, [that] we don’t do enough to tackle crime prevention. But one way to do so is crime prevention from a young age,” Cuthbert Flynn stated.

She said the ministry is keen on ensuring they are not just refurbishing police stations and securing Jamaica’s borders but also engaging in interventions to “prevent children and families from getting involved [in crime].”

“The best way to do this is to get into the various communities, especially ones in the Zones of Special Operations (ZOSOs), and involve the children in these extracurricular activities where we have the music, we have the sport… especially basketball,” Cuthbert Flynn stated.

The state minister pointed out that for youngsters unfamiliar with basketball, the initiative provides “an avenue for our children to learn a new game”.

Since 2023, over 190 students have been engaged under the ‘Shoot Hoops, Not Guns’ initiative.

It forms part of a multifaceted Government approach to tackling crime and violence in schools, and communities where ZOSOs have been established.

— JIS