People never used to close their door – coach Craig
Published:Friday | September 18, 2015 | 12:39 PM
Youth football coach, Trevor Craig, grew up in Lucea, Hanover, during a time when the parish was quite peaceful and crime, including murders, was virtually non-existent.
"As a youngster growing up in Lucea, everyone used to know one another. As youths, we used to know the houses and the people who had guns, because it used to be put up at the back of the door and most of those guns were for shooting birds," Craig told Western Focus.
"It was prominent business people who used to have them and it was only in bird season that you would see these guns," said Craig. "Then some of us, who go to their houses would see it put up behind the door. There was really no crime in Hanover. People could leave their doors open and go away and come back up to the 1980s. People never used to close their doors."
Craig said an occurrence of murder, when it did take place, usually shocked the entire parish and was like a phenomenon which was on the lips of parishioners for months.
"When a crime like murder took place in Hanover, you would hear about it fi all four, five, six months, people would be talking about it," said Craig. "People weren't scared to walk late at nights here in Lucea, but now, people are very scared because crime escalate so much. And it's getting worse and worse every day. And the surprising thing about it is that, all these murders, we never hear that one is solved; you never hear that."
"The people have vision, but the leaders have no vision," continued Craig. "When you talk to the people, the people know exactly what they want to do. When you look at Hanover, there is not much opportunities for young people."
Craig, who works closely with young people through his involvement as a football coach, thinks the police needs to build stronger bonds with the various communities, especially with the young people.
"The police should build a better relationship with the youths in the community. I think we should have more community policing right now," said Craig.
- C.G.