Youth behaviour continues to be the leading concern affecting community safety, according to feedback received during VBTC’s News Tokbak Show this week.
The discussion followed a question posed to the public asking what they considered to be the biggest issue affecting the safety of their communities.
Most callers identified youth-related behaviour and activities as the primary threat, with many calling for stronger cooperation between chiefs, church leaders, youth leaders, parents, and authorities to address the issue.
One caller said the growing involvement of young people in anti-social behaviour raises concerns about the country’s future.
“Most of the problems are being caused by young people, and this is happening in many communities around Port Vila. It is a worrying sign because if these problems continue to grow, it raises concerns about the future of our country.”
Another caller suggested that the increasing number of parents participating in overseas seasonal employment programmes has contributed to some children being left without adequate supervision.
“Some children are standing along the roadside asking for money. When you ask them why, they say their parents are overseas working under the seasonal worker scheme. While we support people earning an income, we also need to think about the impact on children left behind.”
However, not all feedback was negative.
A caller from Ohlen Freswota said community safety has improved significantly in recent years due to targeted police operations and the establishment of Community Safety Teams.
“I have lived in Ohlen for 33 years and have seen a big improvement. The authorities have done a great job through Operation Spotlight, and today there is a noticeable difference. There are streetlights, and theft has reduced compared with before.”
The discussion highlighted that while new initiatives are helping improve safety in some communities, many people still believe youth-related issues remain one of the biggest challenges facing communities across Vanuatu.
