More and more crimes are being executed here by young men (and women), some barely out of their teens and others who are teenagers.

Why?

Frighteningly, these young persons are carrying weapons that include guns.

Not content with brandishing these weapons to frighten their victims they even resort to pistol whipping them.

One such incident is damaging to our image abroad as these stupid young persons are targeting our beaches packed with visitors.

Seven Mile Beach is the main target, although there was a recent one at Smith Cove on South Church Street.

Last Tuesday afternoon, 17 July, two people at Governor’s Beach had personal items and cash stolen from a bag they had left on the shore whilst swimming.

Then, on Thursday, 12 July, a man, aged 18 and a woman, aged 19 were spotted looking into several bags on the beach near the Westin. They were both arrested and charged with criminal trespass and attempted theft.

The RCIPS is warning the public not to leave valuables unattended while at the beach. They recommend someone stay onshore and watch over belongings when others are swimming.

Single persons who want to go swimming should lock their valuables out of sight in their cars. If they don’t have that luxury then they should use waterproof pouches where they can place their keys, cash and other valuables and take them into the sea with them.

In the UK it is even worse as recent statistics are showing a quarter of all crimes are committed by offenders under the age of 18! Mostly male.

Therefore, isn’t it time this problem is tackled now?

The Report on which these statistics come from also says youngsters are also likely to re-offend after completing custodial sentences; about three quarters return to crime within a year.

So, locking them up is not a deterrent.

One suggestion has been to sentence young offenders to receive ‘robust’ community punishments.

Surely, though, the answer lies with our school system and job market?

Where are all the government student education/work programmes? And, I don’t mean just for bright pupils.

Where is the class discipline? And the lack of it is not just the teacher’s fault. In most cases their hands are tied by the parents/guardians of the pupils.

Values must be instilled at home and in our schools for the educational system to work efficiently. Isn’t this acceptable behavior? However, some school administrators are also not mandating a respectful educational environment.

We must immediately take a new look at why more and more of our young men (and women) are offending and find the answers, or what we have now is just the beginning of an epidemic.

It is a plain fact – here in the Cayman Islands, we are mimicking much larger countries – thieves are getting younger and younger.