Public Order and Youth’s role in crime prevention

Public Order and Youth’s role in crime prevention

It is only having a sense of peace and security first where one can then think of developing himself fully. Peace and security is a vital concern raised by the youth leaders during the Oro Youth Leaders Convergence. Security – as defined by the youth leaders is a community that has low crime rates, no gang fights and no drug dealings. Security is also a picture of you stepping out of your house without fear of getting hurt or getting violated. It is also where one can easily get redress of a wrong committed.

The Oro youth leaders emphasized that peace and security is vital in the progress of the city and defining issue for the youth. Victims of crime and doers of crime more often than not are within the age of 15-30. The root cause of crime is complex and multi-dimensional but the youth would like to focus in and subscribe to the theory that the physical environment holds a strong influence in criminal behavior. The broken-windows theory is a criminological theory of the norm-setting and signaling effect of urban disorder and vandalism on additional crime and anti-social behavior. The theory states that maintaining and monitoring urban environments in a well-ordered condition may stop further vandalism and escalation into more serious crime.

YOUTH POLICY AGENDA

 

As such, the youth leaders outline the following policy agenda: 

1.     The city should expand its Hapsay Dalan operations to other points of convergence and insure safety of parks and other public places. Hapsay Dalan, aside from regulating the flow of traffic also creates a social value for the respect of the basic laws and nurturing a culture of discipline. This, we hope, creates an environment of orderliness and discipline. It is also called for that a component on safety in public places should be added. Hence, as a laudable portrayal of political will and a catalyst for behavioral change, this should be improved and expanded to other points of convergence in the city.

2.     Invest in intensive police and citizen monitoring on known drug-dens, child-trafficking entry points and child prostitution areas, apprehend suspects in accordance with law, and adopt gender appropriate interventions. The people of the city especially the youth should be given appropriate training to spot highly suspicious activities and create a quick-response system. The barangay tanod force should also complement this by organizing citizen crime watch groups in barangays.

3.     The city and the police force should continue to be strict in monitoring bars and entertainment areas especially near centers of learning. The city should be strict in reviewing businesses near schools on their operation and what they sell as required by law. The barangay councils should also create multi-sectoral task forces that monitor the surroundings of schools.

ORO YOUTH PARALLEL ACTION

Hapsay Dalan Youth Advocacy – In partnership with the NSTP of the different colleges and universities, the Oro Youth Development Council would engage in social media advocacy campaigns in the Divisoria area. This also includes disseminating information about the local traffic code. 

Summit on the Role of the Youth in Crime Prevention – In partnership with the PNP, this is half-day summit with different youth leaders around the city. The aim of this summit is to provide the youth a crime situationer, presentation of internet based program created by computer engineering students and action points for the youth to become active players in curbing crime. The summit would also help the groups create their own crime prevention plans in their respective organizations.

Business Establishment Profiling and School Caravan on Ordinance – student leaders from high schools through the In-school youth sector will profile the different establishments near their schools. The data will then be forwarded to the proper authorities for enforcement.