The growing involvement of young men in serious crime is a moral and social emergency, said Supreme Counselling Services CEO Shawn Clarke, describing the crime spike as “a national cry for help” after police figures showed steep increases in violent and major offences.
The latest crime statistics from The Barbados Police Service noted that crime is down slightly, by about two per cent, but serious crimes against the person have doubled compared with last year, with robberies more than doubling and major crimes rising by 13 per cent.
“The acting commissioner of police’s recent revelation that a very high percentage of young men in Barbados are now involved in crime is not merely a statistic; it is a national cry for help,” Clarke said in a statement on Friday. “Behind every number is a life once filled with potential, a mother’s silent tears, a community’s disappointment, and a nation standing on the brink of moral and social collapse.”
But Clarke insisted that the situation is not beyond redemption.
“I do not believe this story has to end in despair. What we need now is not another round of blame, but a national awakening… a moment of collective responsibility and collaborative action.”
Clarke said his organisation has seen lives turn around when communities stop condemning youth and start guiding them. “Change becomes possible when the environment around him stops condemning and starts guiding,” he said, calling for a “solution-focused mindset”.
“Government, parents, schools, churches, and community organisations must come together, not as critics, but as partners in healing and rebuilding. We must shift from reaction to prevention. From outrage to outreach.”
He suggested meaningful intervention must go to where young men “live, play, and struggle”, with real-world youth sessions and mentorship programmes embedded across communities.
“These are not just workshops, they are lifelines,” Clarke stressed. “The topics must reflect what is actually happening in our communities — guns, gangs, anger, hopelessness — and provide real strategies to break those cycles.”
Clarke insisted that “we cannot depend on the police alone to fix this problem”, adding that community groups, churches, and youth clubs must be equipped with behavioural intervention tools, counselling skills, and mentorship techniques so they can play a structured role.
“Imagine if every district had a small team of trained volunteers who could identify at-risk youth early, engage them positively, and refer them to the right support systems. That is nation-building in action.”
He rejected the idea that Barbados is dealing with a generation of hardened young criminals.
“We are not fighting bad boys; we are fighting brokenness. We are not battling statistics… we are battling stories of pain that were never heard.”
Clarke explained that if Barbados mobilised with urgency, he believes the trajectory can change.
“If we can come together as one Barbados, driven not by fear, but by faith in our youth, then the numbers shared by the acting commissioner can change. Every boy we reach, every life we redirect, becomes a testimony that hope still lives here.
Our young men are not lost causes; they are lost children. It is time for us to bring them home.” (SB)
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