Discussing the rise of violence (from left): Lieutenant Colonel Hughes Loyez, Vice Recteur Harry Christophe, Prosecutor Xavier Sicot, Préfet Vincent Berton, and Collectivité Third Vice President Dominique Louisy. (Robert Luckock photo)
MARIGOT--Préfet Vincent Berton has said the escalation of violence amongst the youth since September, particularly with firearms, is extremely worrying. He called for a collective effort to get to the root of the problem before it gets worse.
He referred to the shooting in Sandy Ground on Saturday, November 30, in which two minors, ages 17 and 14, were caught in the crossfire when a passing car containing three masked individuals fired shots into a group of youngsters.
The youngest victim sustained several bullet wounds and was evacuated immediately to Martinique in critical condition while the other victim was shot in the hand. It was understood that the youngest victim did survive the shooting.
“What on earth were two minors doing on the road at 1:30 in the morning?” the préfet questioned.
He has blamed that incident on lack of supervision by parents, and families in dysfunctional situations when one parent is missing for different reasons. Dropping out of school, family problems at home, not having a job, getting into fights, are all reasons why young people end up on the road committing crimes and getting into trouble with the law, he added.
He said he considered the scooter itself an “indirect weapon”, as it is the transport most often used in armed robberies.
Berton was speaking at a press conference Friday in the company of Prosecutor Xavier Sicot, Gendarmerie Commandant Lieutenant Colonel Hughes Loyez, Vice Recteur Harry Christophe and Collectivité Third Vice President Dominique Louisy.
He said the Council for the Rights of Families must do more to remind parents of responsibilities to monitor the whereabouts of their children. Associations must also focus more on the youth, to provide healthy activities and sports.
Prosecutor Sicot said crimes involving minors rose by 19% in 2024 and 102 minors are currently being monitored by the justice system. At the end of November 92 armed robberies had been committed, 32 more than in 2023. And currently around 60 adults are detained in prison in Basse Terre.
Sicot added that schools are a sacred place of learning and it is inconceivable that weapons can circulate within the school environment. This has already resulted in extra and regular checks for weapons in backpacks by Gendarmes and Territorial Police.
The Gendarmerie is carrying out multiple controls around the territory. Lt. Colonel Loyez said gangs of young people are defending their territories with a code system. Christophe said National Education is taking measures to improve the situation in schools.
It was mentioned that the surveillance camera system wiped out since Hurricane Irma has not been replaced by the Collectivité. Vice President Louisy noted that the Collectivité a few years ago used to have regular meetings with the delinquency prevention council, parents, and representatives of the schools to discuss the problems of the youth, which produced good results but she did not know why the meetings had stopped.
Préfet Berton announced that a conference on juvenile delinquency and violence will be held in February 2025 to discuss solutions.
