214 cases of children in conflict with the law - January to April

The Jamaica Constabulary Force is reporting that during the period  January to April this year, there were 214 cases of  children in conflict with the law.

The offenders were aged of 12 to 17. Five of them were charged with murder.

According to the data, 26 children were arrested for assault while 24 were charged with breaching the Firearms Act.

Statistics obtained by Radio Jamaica News also show that 30 children have been implicated in having sexual intercourse with a person under 16 years old.

Superintendent Robert Gordon, commanding officer for the Westmoreland Police, said 17 boys, aged 13 to 17, have been arrested in the parish.

These offences include illegal possession of firearm, shooting with intent, rape and abduction. 

Superintendent appealed to relatives and community members to "provide greater care and protection for our young ones and to provent the continuation of their involvement in crime and violence..."

Solving crime is "a community effort... it's everybody's business, and we should play our part in preventing incidents like these from happening in the future".