NEWTON QUITS

The chairman of the National Advisory Council on Citizen Security tendered her resignation to Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley effective yesterday, citing a number of shortcomings which negatively impacted their work.

In her letter, addressed to the Prime Minister, Professor Velma Newton said she took up the post because “home drums beat first”, delaying other commitments in the process.

“However, the truth is that the offer was made and accepted with too many factors not having been thought out and conveyed either to the public or to the council itself,” Newton noted.

She said a council of 24 people was “unwieldy” and too many members were unable to attend meetings.

“They were also unable to contribute on a large scale to the research effort needed at the beginning, to collect information on the Government departments, religious and many other organisations established to provide counselling and recreational services to youth, mentally and physically challenged persons, parents and others. Ironically, some of them are the representatives of some of these bodies on the council,” she pointed out.

Additionally, no secretary was provided although a budget was submitted to the relevant ministry soon after the council was established.

“This has meant that for nearly nine months, the chair, with assistance from one person who was not a member of the council, was responsible for whatever data collection occurred and for correspondence with council members.”

Mottley announced the establishment of the council last September after a crime wave that same week left four dead and nine injured in separate incidents at Nelson Street, The City and Weston, St James. At that same media conference, she also said there would be new regulations on vehicle tint and it was against the law to wear balaclava masks without the express permission of the Commissioner of Police.

Newton said there was a tendency for members of the public to think Government was not doing anything about the violent crime because it was continuing and not vanishing. “Careful attention must be paid to the selection and implementation process or a considerable amount of funds could go down the drain. My suspicion is also that some persons see this as a good opportunity to make money from public funds. This was my feeling when I finally saw some of the “Peace Programme” initiatives, and I still feel this way.” Newton said there were several observations – the numbers need to be increased in the law enforcement agencies as well as an overhaul of some police and court procedures and more police outposts and drones could be used in both the detection and deterrence of crime.

Attention also needed to be placed on the schools at all levels, Newton said in the letter, to strengthen or introduce programmes that could assist in reducing crime among children who were neglected by (FP)

their parents or guardians and were “not exposed to Christian principles through church-going and some of whom, unfortunately, are exposed to the taking of drugs, family violence, playing games for money and being groomed by members of gangs and gun runners to be their lieutenants for money which is badly needed in some households”.

Newton said their research was also hampered by the lack of information from institutions like the Barbados Community College, Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology and the National Transformation Initiative on non-traditional but potentially very useful programmes for many of the students who leave school with no certification.

In the letter, Newton said she hoped the incoming chairman would continue on the work the council had started.

To date, they made recommendations to the Attorney General on legislation and one of the sub-committees is also reviewing existing laws.

(PR/SAT)

Professor Velma Newton, chairman of the National Advisory Council on Citizen Security, tendered her resignation to Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley effective

yesterday.