Commentary

Deadly mistake

THE LEAD STORY in yesterday's STAR spoke about the deadly mistake of a thief who accidentally shot himself in the groin when he tried to pull a gun to fire at the police.

But while what happened to the thief can be considered funny, other elements of the story, raised certain serious questions.

According to the story the robbery was committed by two 15 year-old boys. They allegedly held up a taxi driver at gun-point and stole his car and while trying to escape the car crashed. They then ran from the vehicle in a bid to escape. While escaping, the men reportedly tried to shoot at the police and that was when the thief killed himself.

This story reflects in the true sense how young criminals are born in the society. What would possess these two young men to believe that they could rob someone and escape?

From the tender age of 15, these young men seemed to have grasped the criminal concept of stealing from hard working Jamaicans for their own profit.

Even more worrying was that they were armed with a handgun which points to their intentions to use force where necessary.

These youth seem to be lacking in parental guidance and morals. They are reflective of what can happen to other youth who lack similar guidance.

Adults need to recognise that they have a responsibility to guide youth in the right way. We cannot ignore the problem because in saving the youth, we are saving our future.