Chief Prosecutor breaks lance for prevention of youth crime

August 17, 2012 10:47 AM

PHILIPSBURG--Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos said youth crime will be the spearhead of the Prosecutor's Office policy. He said this during the installation of new resident Judge Tamara Tijhuis Friday afternoon at the Courthouse.

Chief Prosecutor Mos introduced new Prosecutor Georges van den Eshof, who has also been appointed as per August 1. The 37-year-old worked lastly at the Prosecutor's Office in Roermond, The Netherlands, and is highly internationally oriented, said Mos. He said Van den Eshof command of French, Spanish and Russian would come in handy.
 
Mos was less pleased with the state of affairs among the island's youths, whose future is far from rosy-red. The 2008-2010 Crime Image Analysis painted a dark image of little parental supervision, insufficient schooling, street culture, gang formation etc. This led the Prosecutor's Office and the Police to make juvenile crime the number one priority in their annual plan.
 
"Prevention and counselling are first and foremost," Mos said. Youth crime will be tackled in cooperation with a Youth Policy Plan, while making use of the new Criminal Code would make it possible to deal more effectively with juvenile delinquents.
 
Better schooling, after school activities, (sport) activities in the districts and training in parenting would greatly contribute towards crime prevention, according to the Chief Prosecutor.
 
"However, without the possibility to detain young delinquents the Prosecutor's Office will remain a toothless tiger," said Mos, pointing at the necessity of a youth detention facility. Mos added that in this respect electronic surveillance could offer some solace.
 
Mos said the Prosecutor's Office had opened a vacancy for its very-first youth prosecutor, who is to replace Prosecutor for Saba and St. Eustatius Marleen Overmeer, who will be transferred to Bonaire.
 
The Chief Prosecutor also made an appeal to non-profit organisations to make their organisation available for supervised community service.

)The Daily Herald)