No one needs to be convinced that our youth are an endangered group in our population. It is with this view that we hail the efforts of the Anguilla Football Association to continue to develop football on the island. Sport is just one discipline where the character of our youth can be moulded, and their energies harnessed in a positive, productive manner.

Sport, however, cannot be the cure-all for the social ills that are besetting our progress as an island nation. Sport is not enough to distract our youth from the gangster culture that is now in residence on our island. It is noteworthy at this point to highlight that there are some young people who have resisted and are resisting the negativity around us.

Recent happenings have caused much criticism to be levied at the Police Department. While some of the criticism could lend itself to the improvement of that Department, we have to understand that the Police are only dealing with the influence that each one of us is casting on our society.

The youth gangster culture may be a by-product of some aspects of the adult lifestyle of our own society. Our decisions and example have etched their marks on the character, and resulting behaviour of our children. In the end, the police and schools are left to address the effects of our own failed marriages, our unstable relationships, our absences from our children’s lives, our failure to instill discipline, our own disregard for authority, and so on.

It is hoped that we (our leaders and each one of our ordinary selves) will now act with urgency to stamp out the acts of violence that haunt us. We cannot continue to throw all the responsibility on the leadership of our churches, schools and organisations; they are as strong as each of us. We urge all community members to rise up, stamp out the gangster culture among us and help our children to grow strong and straight. By all means, we have to do something now.

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