Issues such as crime and poverty are social issues. There is no doubt about it. There are issues that have been with mankind since the beginning of time based on what the history books have taught us.However, these topics often become political issues because in a sense we depend on the powers that be to use their good office to prevent and manage such.We concede there will never be full eradication of poverty or zero crime. Such utopia does not exist.The apparent resurgence of murders in recent weeks has brought the menacing issues of crime to the fore yet again, and rightly so. Crime does not simply affect the victim or the perpetrator, it has a holistic impact. Killings committed in a community rocks the entire neighbourhood. Those who lose a loved one are affected; those who witness the crime are affected; those who live in the area are affected. The entire country is jolted whether you know the individual or not.It places an added burden on government resources. It adds to the load of the Police Service, the Judicial system and the penal system.Added to all that, at a time like this when tourism authorities are reporting an increase in visitor arrivals due to the staging of the ICC T20 World Cup, it affects our country’s image as well.
