Two parts to community safety and crime prevention
As I am talking to residents of Mount Pearl and Paradise, I am hearing a lot about how people are concerned for the security of their belongings, and as well, protecting themselves and their children from crime.
People have the right to feel safe and be safe, and the Government can tackle crime and personal safety issues from two perspectives: First, we can address the problems that we are experiencing today, and secondly, we can be proactive about preventing problems in the future.
The PC Blueprint outlines a number of measures that we intend to take to deal with the crimes that are occurring in the province today. We are committing further resources to the RNC and Crimestoppers and introducing new units to deal with e-crime and to combat the exploitation of children.
The Blueprint also describes the preventative measures we are taking and will continue to take to discourage crime and reduce the social conditions that promote criminal activity. We will expand and implement a province-wide violence prevention awareness campaign, as well as continuing our anti-drug programs, and we will work with schools and other organizations to develop a zero-tolerance policy on bullying. And we will introduce legislation that will prevent criminals from benefiting from their crimes.
The Provincial Government can only do so much, however, and community problems require solutions from all levels of the community.
Right now, a lot of the crime issues that the communities of Paradise and Mount Pearl are facing have seem to center on youth.
It is unfair that all youth get judged by the actions of a few, since most youth are simply looking for a safe place to hang out with their friends. I think the solution to the problems of youth crime lie in talking to the youth themselves, both the youth victims and the perpetrators. We can’t assume that we know what youth want or need, the youth themselves need a voice so we can work together towards a solution.
Even the perpetrators are not necessarily bad kids, it’s not easy being a teenager in today’s world where increasingly kids are expected to act like adults without having been given the resources to do so. There is usually a reason for the anti-social behaviour and the crime, even if the youth themselves aren’t aware of it.
We need to get tough on crime as we help eliminate the conditions that cause it. This requires broad-minded, creative thinking to create good working solutions that can be refined as needed. All levels of government and all citizens must get involved to help create a safer province.
People have the right to feel safe and be safe, and the Government can tackle crime and personal safety issues from two perspectives: First, we can address the problems that we are experiencing today, and secondly, we can be proactive about preventing problems in the future.
The PC Blueprint outlines a number of measures that we intend to take to deal with the crimes that are occurring in the province today. We are committing further resources to the RNC and Crimestoppers and introducing new units to deal with e-crime and to combat the exploitation of children.
The Blueprint also describes the preventative measures we are taking and will continue to take to discourage crime and reduce the social conditions that promote criminal activity. We will expand and implement a province-wide violence prevention awareness campaign, as well as continuing our anti-drug programs, and we will work with schools and other organizations to develop a zero-tolerance policy on bullying. And we will introduce legislation that will prevent criminals from benefiting from their crimes.
The Provincial Government can only do so much, however, and community problems require solutions from all levels of the community.
Right now, a lot of the crime issues that the communities of Paradise and Mount Pearl are facing have seem to center on youth.
It is unfair that all youth get judged by the actions of a few, since most youth are simply looking for a safe place to hang out with their friends. I think the solution to the problems of youth crime lie in talking to the youth themselves, both the youth victims and the perpetrators. We can’t assume that we know what youth want or need, the youth themselves need a voice so we can work together towards a solution.
Even the perpetrators are not necessarily bad kids, it’s not easy being a teenager in today’s world where increasingly kids are expected to act like adults without having been given the resources to do so. There is usually a reason for the anti-social behaviour and the crime, even if the youth themselves aren’t aware of it.
We need to get tough on crime as we help eliminate the conditions that cause it. This requires broad-minded, creative thinking to create good working solutions that can be refined as needed. All levels of government and all citizens must get involved to help create a safer province.
