SEAL THREE
THE CRIME AND INSECURITY PROBLEM AND GOD’S SOLUTION
“Teach a child how he should live, and he will remember it all his life”.
- (Proverbs 22:6)
Daily we panic and worry over at the growing crime menace ravaging our societies with dismay. But should we really look on in despair, resigned to fate, at this social dilemma, and not try to proffer lasting solutions to it? The following are three of some of the causes and reasons of this quagmire:
One; there is the consideration of a child's upbringing. People with a negative or people with a positively-deficient upbringing tend to deviate to crime or criminal ways of eking out a livelihood.
Two; idleness, indolence, and joblessness also may lead some potentially agile and tactile people into crime for a livelihood. This is inclusive of individuals with a will to express their potentialities, but without an opportunity.
Three; there are the social miscreants or “no-goods”. This group of persons is really the pain in the neck. They are the ones who cause the decay of social fabrics and lend cause to flagrant moral decadence no matter the pampering of the authorities. And they are the ones we really cannot but always have in our societies and in all generations.
Everywhere in the earth there are daily recorded robberies, armed banditry, attacks against places of worship, hooliganism, internet fraud, kidnapping, arson, pilferage, terrorism, rape, drug-handling, and what-have-you. All society is debased, and there seem no lasting solutions. The devil is set berserk in the hearts and minds of many it seems! But can there not really be a way out of this quagmire beyond gentle persuasions? What follows from us in this piece might suffice for a way out of the dilemma:
Youths or teens in our understanding are usually predominant, or predominate, in all these classes of deviants as outlined. They have to their vantage such potencies as zeal, vigor and strength - which some deploy wrongfully into crime because misguided or naïve. It might then be expedient and appropriate to (re)-orientate them on the right paths so that a culture of civility and near uprightness or crimelessness could evolve to the common good. How do we do this, you ask?
To do this effectively somewhat may require initiating a “corps” or some constabulary that would incorporate both police and other paramilitary drills in its curriculum. The end-purpose of this is to plough the zeal and prowess of the youths into some more useful and constructive purpose as curbing and monitoring or policing their neighborhoods for some token rewards.
This 'youth-corps,' - as the name implies - should recruit members while they are still young and impressionable - say from ages thirteen (13) to twenty-five (25). Recruitment should however be voluntary rather than enforced. Obviously, some parents - or even the potential recruits – may resent the idea for any reasons best known to them.
During school holidays or vacations or at weekends, the recruits could be rallied together in pockets of nearest places of best convenience for training, under a command structure [or body] set up for this, and tutored in the art of civics, the law, intelligence gathering, criminology, community policing, crime prevention and detection, martial arts, and any other such relevant drills. All relevant kits and other paraphernalia of office should be provided them by the corps at no costs to them. Importantly however, the corps is not to be uniformed!
After graduating from this preliminary training, the recruits should then have been taught and learned enough to be useful citizens, assisting the police and other such security operatives in their lines of duty as 'freelancers' for a token wage. This ever leaves the corps-members free to engage in other pecuniary passions and interests of theirs unhindered. (This in itself is a pastime to be done at one's pace and in one's spare time upon graduation from training, the reason why it is “freelance”).
From their least ranks the recruits would keep climbing up by promotions as they report information on crimes and criminals. With each reporting, the corps-member is promoted in rank and with income and may be decorated with medals or other honors as deserved - an inducement for them to continually redouble their efforts. (However, some may get nothing for none reporting and may remain un-promoted). This thus partly putting paid an end to the problem of unemployment and the virtue issue in one fell swoop among youths!
Note critically that the corps does not carry out wholesome police duties technically, nor are they some rival force to the police; they rather are a vigilante and watchdog over the citizenry and upon themselves. They provide information and lead to and through their corps' command on criminal activities, which will then redirect onward to the right authorities for their action.
This then leaves them less vulnerable or at risk. They also do not bear arms unlike the regular police or paramilitary, but may carry communication sets.
In line to safeguard against any members being in league with criminals or in complicity of any sort by giving misleading, negotiated or prejudiced information on purpose or for any gains, or withholding part or whole information that they are privy to, or proven to be in possession of, such recruits would risk sanctions. Some of such sanctions may be: de-medaling, regimental demotions, wage deductions, suspensions, outright rustications; or what-have-you as punishments (depending on the gravity of the offence). This kind of esprit de corps or misdemeanor would not and should not be condoned! All offences and their penalties are better ranked and served round the recruits at training and periodically to keep them always in view.
For the well-serving graduates of the system - those who peak [pass out] upon attaining maturity age twenty-five (25); or top rank and have to be compulsorily retired before attaining maturity age - automatic conscription could be reserved them into any of the paramilitary forces of their choice. Other rewards and honors could be formulated and bestowed upon them by the State or corps command. Or they otherwise may continue with normal civilian life after service.
Conclusively, the crime and criminality problem should have known God's solution, or be reduced to the barest minimum, as successive generations of youths and teenagers mature into adulthood, giving rise to uprightness and near-crimelessness to the common good. This evidently because, as the Bible admonishes : “teach a child how he should live, and he will remember it all his life” (Proverbs 22:6).
This then is a permanent long-term palliative from God to the crime and insecurity problem plaguing our societies in addition to any other palliatives currently subsisting. And because we know that criminals are humans, living and having their being within society and not in some underground coven, they then can best be sought out and brought under the law by their most congenial peers or age grades – youths and teens, hence the call for this corps. It may take some while for this to yield full dividends as foreseeable, but the benefits and externalities will eventually rob off sooner than later.