ACP tells youths ‘crime doesn’t pay’

Assistant Commissioner of Police Eckron Lockhart has what he thinks is the antidote to the ongoing war that between the rival groups in the Edinboro and Ottley Hall communities.{{more}}

“We have to find the leadership of these groups. We have to find out who these young people are and get the rivalry out of these communities. This is where the problem lies,” Lockhart sternly said at a meeting held on Wednesday this week to broker peace between both neighbourhoods.

Lockhart told the small media gathering that the matter needs to be tackled on all fronts and the police need the assistance from civil society and churches. “What we are getting here is a lot of animosity from both parties and it is not nice to see this kind of deep-seated rivalries…I know this happens in other countries but we can’t let it happen here,” Lockhart asserted.

ACP Lockhart was at the time addressing three young men involved in an ongoing feud between rival groups in their respective communities. “What’s going to be the end result? Someone is going to end up hurt or dead…you have to sit down and think about your futures,” Lockhart advised.

Lockhart lauded the initiative by Commissioner of Police, Keith Miller, to have the representatives from each community come out and air their views. He added that the ongoing war has now left a breeding ground for the younger ones in these communities. “Young men, crime doesn’t pay because you can’t live a comfortable life,” Lockhart warned.

Also sharing brief remarks at the gathering was Assistant Commissioner of Police Lenroy Brewster who could be seen shaking his head in obvious shock at the stories related by the young men. He noted that there are “bigger players under the surface than we are seeing and I think that this consultation will help to eradicate the problem.” He added that it is a big social problem that needs to be addressed or the situation could end where young people lose their lives. (KW)