June 24, 2008 — Acting Police Commissioner Oakland Benta Sr. urged parents Monday to keep an eye on what their children are doing over the summer holiday and with whom.
"Right now kids are out of school and they are searching for places to congregate and have a good time," Benta said at the Police Department's monthly press conference. In preparation, police have been visiting neighborhoods, assessing the conditions of the parks where kids are playing and working together with the Department of Housing, Parks and Recreation to repair them, he said.
Finding wholesome activities for kids can be difficult, Benta acknowledged, suggesting parents look into the Police Athletic League and check with their churches for summer programs. Meanwhile, parents should be mindful that they may not know all of the people their children spend time with.
"We find often they have friends you were not aware of and these friends can end up directing groups including your child," Benta said. "Your child at home is one thing and outside out of your sight is sometimes something different. Often when a child gets in trouble, parents tell us 'I didn't know these things existed.'"
Children with too much time on their hands are a major source of crime in the community, he said.
"Kids can fall prey to a lot of people and get involved with drugs, breaking and entering, stealing of people's vehicles," he said. "If a vehicle shows up in your driveway and your child doesn't have the money to buy it and you didn't buy it, be mindful it is your responsibility to report that."
But kids themselves want safer streets and are eager for constructive things to do, he said.
"In the Williams Delight area we had a cleanup and … the children were the fastest to volunteer and to pick up cans and help out," he said. "The kids themselves come forward with information. They say they are afraid and are sick and tired of looking down the barrel of a gun. Please, if a child can see it, don't you be afraid to come forward."
More crimes are being solved with the help of the community, Francis said. "We have seen a turn," he said. "The community is starting to come forward and give assistance that is leading to arrests."
Police are stepping up patrols around Cane Bay in response to a series of robberies over the past year, Benta said.
Police will soon start posting photos of everyone who is arrested, he said.
"You need to know who is in your neighborhood," he said, suggesting the photos may make it harder for burglars and other criminals to commit new crimes, because neighbors would be on the lookout for them.
Police Commissioner James McCall is out on medical leave and is expected to return to duty around mid-July. St. Croix Police Chief Thomas Hannah is also out on medical leave, with an uncertain return date.
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