Need to Ask Youth What They Want To Do?

Summerside group aims to work with teen vandals
Last Updated: Thursday, November 4, 2010 | 10:15 AM AT
A Summerside neighbourhood plans to tackle crime by working with teenagers who are vandalizing the area near a local church. Residents living near Trinity United Church are facing increasing vandalism and property damage by groups of teenagers. They want to work with the youths, rather than push them away.
Teenagers have taken over the church's back steps in the past six months, said Andrew Richardson, a minister at the church. "The most egregious vandalism was that they had spray painted along the back of the church 'We love Satan,'" said Richardson.
The teens have also burned holes in the side of the church and damaged the handrails.
'One of the key trends is to ask kids what they want to do and not chase them around from neighbourhood to neighbourhood.'—Cory Thomas, Summerside police committee chair
Richardson said police are well aware of the problem and they've responded every time. But as soon as police show up, the teens run, only to come back the next day.
Richardson doesn't think video surveillance is the answer. Instead, residents are meeting to come up with solutions. "I spent all day today at a crime prevention and community development workshop," said Cory Thomas, chair of the city's police committee. "And one of the key trends there is to ask kids what they want to do and not chase them around from neighbourhood to neighbourhood."
Thomas said he'll address the problem with the newly elected city council. "What I want to see is the city move away from the community services department being a special events department and get more into the trenches and seeing what kids want to do," said Thomas. "You need to have that focus."
Richardson said he'd love to see the teens inside the church doing something productive, rather than outside being