‘Failure in Parenting!’ComPol Urges Broader Perspective on 13-Year-Old's Detention

The Commissioner of Police has, once again, called on society to take a more holistic look at the 13-year-old who has been detained under the State of Emergency (SOE), saying the situation finds its roots in a failure in parenting.

The Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, addressed the controversy surrounding the child's detention, emphasizing the need to examine the broader societal and familial context contributing to juvenile delinquency.

Commissioner Williams stressed that the minor's involvement in criminal activities, including gun violence, highlights a deeper issue of inadequate parental supervision and care. He pointed out that the child's father and stepfather were both involved in criminal activities, leaving the mother, who is often absent, unable to provide the necessary guidance and support.

“The fact that he had been shot on 9th of March this year after 9 p.m. at night, one would then wonder what was a 13-year-old doing on the street around 9 at night to have been shot?  Where was the parent?” Williams underscored. 

The Commissioner also reminded that the child being out at those hours was also against the law.

“There is still a curfew law that prohibits any child under the age of 16 to be out in public after 8 p.m. absent any parent or guardian,” he added. “So, in that particular instance, the mother could have been held accountable for what happened to the child.”

“Subsequent to that, we had two other reports of the child being involved in gunplay, going after people with the intent to shoot them, and so there was sufficient for us to have been able to take him under the SOE, and I still believe it was the right thing to do.”

Williams stated, "We need to look at it from a holistic perspective. The mother is fighting for the child to be released, but does she have the capacity to take care of that child, to care for that child? If we look at the history, the child's father was a street figure, he was killed. The child's stepfather is a street figure. The mother is absent, so if the child is released back to her, how can she act in the best interest of that child?"

He further argued that societal criticisms of law enforcement's actions overlook the critical role of parenting. "It's not a failure of law enforcement. We're not the ones who are raising these children. It's a failure of parenthood," Williams asserted. He highlighted the necessity for parents to take responsibility for their children's actions, noting that when parenting fails, law enforcement is compelled to intervene as mandated by law.