The Office of the Prime Minister has expressed concern over comments from sections of the Opposition United Progressive Party and its affiliated media houses seeking to cast blame for youth violence which caused an abrupt end to the annual Boxing Day Street Jam in the Point community.
Young men believed to be between the ages of 11-14 were apprehended during the jam, armed with a cutlass and knife. It is reported that two teens were injured during the event.
Prime Minister the Hon. Gaston Browne, under whose auspices the event was held, immediately ordered the stoppage of the event and called on the authorities to act swiftly to prevent any escalation of violence.
Prime Minister Browne stated that the issue of youth violence is of serious concern for his administration and called for urgent all-of-society intervention by stakeholders, foremost being parents.
The Office of the Prime Minister reminds the general public that crime and violence was at an all-time high in Antigua and Barbuda during the period of 2004 and 2014 and therefore the opposition is unfit to speak on the issue of youth violence. “The Opposition would be more effective if they desist from casting blame on other stakeholders and joined the fight to curb youth violence.”
The Office reminded the general public that it was Prime Minister Browne who summoned all stakeholders recently to a cabinet meeting to address this issue and pledged his government’s resolve to take steps to stamp out this trend.
“We need to raise better-cultured children who are hardworking, empathetic, disciplined, and not oriented to using violence to resolve conflicts. This issue threatens to undermine our developmental gains, and attainment of the SDGs requires an all-of-society intervention,” Prime Minister Browne told reporters over the holiday.
PM Browne said the situation certainly requires the support and intervention of “Parents, teachers, policymakers, church leaders, and the broader community must work in tandem to address this issue frontally. Let’s work together to nurture a society that is softer, more cultured, and more productive,” he said.
Following the incident on Boxing Day in the Point Community, Prime Minister Browne spoke with members of his Cabinet, law officials, officials in the Ministry of Social Transformation and Legal Affairs advising that addressing the issue will be a priority when Cabinet resumes in the New Year.
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Gaston Browne these teenagers were only 3 to 7 years old when your administration took office. You are a damn narcissistic fool. Stop blaming others and look at the country you have made Antigua. A bunch of people are doing nothing but beg,smoke weed, drink alcohol and wait for your free ham and turkey and concerts . They rob in daylight and commit crimes at will with no regards to their surroundings. Gaston Browne you must repeal the use of Marijuana and let the law stop protecting you from your incompetent ways.
@Mr. Antigua…. But their parents weren’t 3 to 7 years old. There is where the problem lies, and until as adults we confront this issue in a non-partisan manner it will get worse. Do remember, crime knows no colour…. neither red, white, blue, yellow, orange, green….
The way Jacqui went on this morning is clear sign that the UPP is a desperate party. They are gasping at stray and in using the old adage throwing mud to see what sticks. They are all ah bunch of loosers.
For the longest time the good people of Antigua and Barbuda have been lamenting about the out of control crime spree . They’ve been ignored. Cutie and police commissioner shrugged it off as only 10 murders for the year. Now here you come accusing the UPP. Seriously??.just do your job.
Exactly why blame UPP when it’s the commissioner and AG who is supposed to be overlooking crime? I thought Gaston was about holding people who are not doing their job to account?
@ Gaston THE DAM HYPOCRITE
When the ABLP were in opposition, you and Cutie and Molwyn et al blamed the UPP constantly for the crime situation in Antigua. I will never forget how you guys behaved after the Cocos murder of the English couple, but now that the shoe is on the other foot you don’t want to bear the responsibility.
ABLP IS TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DRAMATIC INCREASE IN YOUTH VOILENCE MAINLY BECAUSE OF THE RAMPANT EASE IN WHICH THEY CAN OBTAIN WEED AND MOVING AROUND THE COUNTRY LIKE ZOMBIES WITH NO FEELING FOR THE DAMAGE THEY ARE CAUSING TO OTHERS, (all this was DONE IN AN EFFORT TO GET VOTES RATHER THAN CONSIDERING THE SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR ACTIONS) BUT NOW ONCE AGAIN IT IS THE UPP’s FAULT. YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A NARCISSIST.
YOUR ABLP GOVERNMENT HAS CAUSED THE TERRIBLE CRIME SITUATION IN THIS COUNTRY THAT HAVE RESIDENTS SCARED TO HELL OUT OF THEIR LIVES.
Useless government, with useful idiots!!
All I can say is from ever since the decrimalization of Marijuana i notice a serious change in alot of the youths behavior, the town is real smokey they huff and puff all over the place, they seems very aggressive , educating the youths of substance abuse should have been a priority, people would say you can’t blame the government, legislation is put in place to help prevent certain behaviors and rules to be broken, When it is good the government wants all the praise when it’s bad they find others blame.
We should be working together to address these issues not just looking to blame
Well said @ Mr. Antigua. This idiot has been blaming UPP, Covid-19 and anything or anyone else for his failures and incompetence. It was UPP operatives sabatoging the water problems and on and on. This narcissistic dunce never sees the ball head, Hitler mustache image when he looks in the mirror. Steadroy Benjamin claims that Antigua and Barbuda is the safest in the Caribbean based on 10 murders. I guess all the other crimes are ok.
11 billion in 9 years, more than any other administration in the history of politics in this country, yet UPP destroyed the economy. They did a whole lot for the people Gaston Browne. What the hell have YOU done? You were broke prior to 2014, now you boast of being worth 30 million; Pixie, who never work anyplace prior to 2018 is now worth 12 million. How? Oh the answer is obvious. We know.
Nonsense! What a fool to be pointing fingers back to 10 years ago! Gaston, you are in office for donkey years now, take the blame and put measures in place to curtail it. I’ve been living in Antigua for 4 years now, and honestly, the crime here frightens me. I’ve watched it grow and escalate those 4 years. Frankly, my doors are always locked once I’m home alone, cause these young people don’t care. They have tested the waters and realised that the law doesn’t incriminate them, so now they’ve gained some boldness. Take stock now and stop playing politics when it comes to crime and violence, people lives and livelihood are at stake. I guess you need it to hit you for you to understand the fear that the average man feels.
Jacqui’s father must have wailed more in hell this morning to hear the deceit coming from his daughter.
.
Dr Quinn was spot on. You must be living in a serene section of Antigua which is gated and free of parasitical criminals, young and old.
Please stop playing the blame game, youth violence and crime on a whole is a concern for all of us, and we must do all we can even though it won’t be easy to try and stomp it out.
Gaston Browne is using his usual deflectionary tactics of ‘dead cat’ narratives of haranguing the opposition party, when all this lazy good for nothing has to do, is quell the rise in violent crimes plaguing this country.
This rise isn’t recent; and you know it!
Antiguans of all political persuasions have been calling for action and reassurances, not only from the Prime Minister, but also from our Police Commissioner as well; and yet you ignore our heartfelt please. Why?
STOP THE BLAME GAME, AND DO WHAT YOU WERE ELECTED TO DO!
Sweden’s 🇸🇪 are stemming their tidal wave of violent crimes, and the determined Ulf Kristersson isn’t blaming his opposition either, he’s tackling crime head on Prime Minister Browne.
Speak to him you stubborn so and so …
YOU WOTLESS MAN!!!
gaston browne is such an idiot and a failure. What a disappointment he has become.
Call the election gaston so that we can get rid of you and your cabal.
It must be really hard for the PM to sleep at nights know that he has messed up almost everything in this country. The road s are deplorable now more than ever, the lack of running water in the pipes for days and weeks, the ridiculous cost overruns at the National Housing, passport scandal, Customs frauds, forged signature of the PM, lack of transparency at NAMCO, raping of the Treasury, selective payments to preferred companies and contractors, Barbuda land grab , nepotism in every ministry and government agencies, self enrichment schemes by Ministers and their minions. We have fallen into a deep precipice of corruption and bad management, one so deep that it may take a decade or more to recover from once these vultures are sent packing
Well said @ Cooyah!
You are correct in saying that it’ll take “two terms” of another political party to clear up the ABLP’S financial and administrative mess.
IF GASTON BROWNE LOVES ANTIGUA, HE SHOULD RESIGN IMMEDIATELY …
Hello, where is the Police Commissioner in all this increase in crime? Is he away on a Christmas Seminar?
Mr Rodney, it is your duty to address the public on all this onslaught on citizens by the thieves and gangsters who are plying their trade in the open. Where are you?
Are we beneath you to speak to us? Do you feel you do not have to talk to us since you will be collecting your big pension payout and riding off to the nature isle soon? In all civilized countries, it is the Police head who comes to the public to address such matters.
Why is Prime Minister Browne doing your job? Why is he on Facebook (his way of officially talking to voters) explaining everything about the crime on Boxing Day? Why are hyou not relating to the citizens who pay your salary every month?
And BTW, it was not Gaston Browne who raised the alert about the teenage hoodlums. It was Ongkyu,
Gaston is just doing what he does all the time. Taking praise that does not belong to him.
Stop blaming Hon Gaston Browne for every dam thing that happen here. Is the parents to blame not having the mind of keeping the children disciplined… they allow the kids to wonder on there own most times… we need a system that us made mandatory that every child from 5-16 is doing some sort of activity. Weather learning and art or trade. And point should be added to there performance to motivate them to do positive things .. those point should put towards food benefits and also education success… I mean we still don’t have a solid system that keep the kids positively occupied. When there was factory and boys training school girls leaning a craft making hats and bags we don’t have that anymore. We living off of only tourism and company developments. Even the crackhead and rum ppl by Kenedy there need to be facilities that is consistent to cooking food and keeping these people off the street. It looks bad and smell bad… I mean if I really start numbering out the countless issues we have here that need to be addressed yall would want to kill me. I hope somebody read all this .
Hey, Issie dear. No surprise you big up Gaston so. He could spell better than you.
What a duncen blog!
“…Stop blaming Gaston Browne for every dam thing that happening here”
Here’s the proof that people like Isalyn harris that keeps Gaston Browne in power.
Disturbing and distressing at the same time!
MERCY …
Stop the damn hypocrisy Mr Prime Minister..stop all this damn propaganda talking and all this BS, and get to the true reason for your high crime rate.
Where at any time in the history of Antigua has the crime rate has been higher in Antigua, when?
No need for the damn lies, and just tackle the bloody crime issue with the full assurance that your AG and Commish will get the job done..that’s the only thing the people want get done in relationship to crime, instead you here going back almost damn near 20 years ago to cast blame.
Yes crime has always been around in this world, but there is no way in hell that the crime rate has ever been higher in Antigua and Barbuda, no way.
Just tell you leaders to do their damn job Gatson, otherwise just shut up.
Gaston, your are the government. You have the police, the military, the AG and the state’s resources. Stop trying to deflect the problem to the UPP. The problem has been yours for the past ten years. Fix it. Everything opposition, opposition. Who you trying to dumb down? You are pathetic.
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