Tyrone Reid, Staff Reporter
A woman cries during a meeting of church leaders from various denominations, organised by the Jamaica Youth for Christ, to announce plans for the Global Day of Prayer scheduled for May 15. The meeting was held at the Knutsford Court Hotel yesterday. - JUNIOR DOWIE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
THE POLICE have reacted cautiously to a proposal by church leaders to adopt members of criminal gangs with the aim of steering them away from crime.
A spokesman for the church leaders said the programme would be modelled after the adopt-a-gang programme that was made famous in Boston, USA more than a decade ago.
The decision to introduce the programme in Jamaica was arrived at during a meeting of clergymen and Governor- General, Sir Howard Cooke to "promote peace, safety and security for all Jamaicans."
The Rev. Eugene Rivers III, who developed the Boston-based programme, was part of this meeting held at Kings House last week.
Implemented in 1991 by Boston-based pastors and the police , the programme reduced crime by more than 50 per cent and went on to become a national model.
If the localised leg of the adopt-a-gang programme is implemented, it may be called the adopt-a-corner initiative would be given priority by the church, according to Major Cooke of the Joy Town Community Development Foundation. However, the Jamaican police fear that the programme might become a haven for wanted men.
"Personally speaking, I don't think that the police would be against any measure geared towards preventing persons from becoming gang members or working on the psyche of existing gang members," explained Leon Rose, acting assistant commissioner of Police in charge of Community Relations.
However, the Acting ACP warned: "Any attempt by any organisation or association must make a clear distinction between potential gang members and criminals who have committed offences and are wanted by the police."
LINE OF DEMARCATION
Acting ACP Rose added that, if that line of demarcation were not clearly defined then the church's act of goodwill would be running the risk of rewarding criminals for committing acts of criminality.
"It would be a dangerous signal, because all a person has to do is join a gang, commit some crimes and then join a (church) group and claim that he has been rehabilitated ... it cannot be a safe haven for persons who have committed crimes," argued Acting ACP Rose.
DAY OF PRAYER
As the Church intensifies its fight against crime, leaders of varying denominations con-sented to Jamaica's participation in the inaugural Global Day of Prayer set for May 15, 2005 yesterday at the Knutsford Court Hotel on Ruthven Road,
"There was a unanimous decision that Jamaica should participate in the Global Day of Prayer given the state of our nation, especially with regards to the high crime rate," said Dr. Donovan Thomas, national director of Jamaica Youth for Christ. He was speaking to The Gleaner following the an-nouncement at The Knutsford Hotel in Kingston on Monday.
