PHILIPSBURG--Local students blame crumbling families, substandard education and lax policing for much of the island's crime.

Five university students from St. Maarten elaborated on the complexities of crime – in schools and homes, against residents and visitors – at a government-initiated panel discussion Sunday.

They argued that St. Maarten needed to both restore its sense of community and ensure that past offenders received treatment and fair chances before law-abiding residents could expect less crime.

Panellists Ramzan Juman, Nerissa Cornelia, Candice Hazel, Neha Dayalani and Doran Joseph tackled bullying and peer pressure in schools, indifference at home and an unforgiving community, in a unique event at the Philipsburg Cultural and Community Centre that was broadcast live on radio and TV.

Organisers called it the Rehabilitate, Educate, Save (RES) panel discussion, tasking students to dissect how treating, teaching and supporting – or not – young persons could either stir or stop their desire to break the law.

The students most often talked about absent and/or passive parents as catalysts for bad children.

Panellists agreed that deterring crime was better than having to fix criminals, but contended that the island needed to be more willing to give offenders a real second chance.

"We need to change our mindset," said Joseph, who leaves next month to start his study of medicine. One way or the other, he said, the island's youth will gravitate wherever they feel most supported. "If we don't reach out to them before they start to reach out to the malefactors, we are going to lose them."

Former convicts rarely, if ever, are given a chance to prove they have left their criminal lifestyles behind, the students said. Legitimate attempts at change, they agreed, were often sabotaged by the community's refusal to believe the ex-cons had grown.

The discussion turned sharply to law enforcement and crime prevention, with students arguing for punishments that fit the crimes and better policing to catch lawbreakers. Sharing stories from her first year in the Netherlands, Nerissa Cornelia said most residents there didn't violate even basic laws about riding bikes for fear of consequences. "People don't do [that] because they know they will be fined," she said.

University of St. Martin (USM) student Juman agreed that punishment for breaking the law was only a deterrent if enforced.

Joseph called for policemen being friendlier and more approachable, suggesting that at-risk youth would reciprocate a more personable approach.

Police Commissioner Carl John responded to this with promises to help create a community-supporting Police Force. "We agree with each other that our police force needs to be rebuilt," John said. "The police officers have to go back to being your neighbourhood big brother."

John was one of three experts called in to support or challenge the students' ideas and motivate the discussion. Teacher and counsellor Nelson Higgs and Court of Guardianship worker Kharisha Foeken were among the experts.

The panel discussion drew a mixed crowd of about 150 persons to seats at the cultural centre. Some students went with their parents. Businessmen and politicians, including Commissioner Xavier Blackman, attended in casual clothes to listen to the four-hour-long discussion.

Panellists debated the role of education and teachers in the lives of young people on the island. An aspiring teacher in USM's Bachelor of Education programme, Juman lashed the value system of many teens and young adults here, saying too many favoured flashy things over substantive opportunities.

"In St. Maarten, it has become more about fast money, fancy cars and big chains [than education]," he said in a sharp speech that opened the discussion on education.

He said vocational talents like carpentry and metalwork were undervalued in schools, leaving many students out in the cold. "The education system focuses on academic prowess, but not on trade skills," Juman argued, calling for more skilled-labour training and opportunities.

The students blamed bullying in and out of school for undermining education and driving youth to crime. They talked about many high schools' zero-tolerance policy on violence. Some contended that throwing students out would foster delinquency more often than it would better the teenager.

"I think sometimes it works, other times it doesn't," said Cornelia, whose mother taught at a primary school for 15 years.

But the discussion became most heated when parents, the primary educators as Higgs called them, were brought up. Hazel, a political-science major, earlier had criticised parents who passed their responsibilities along to teachers instead of nurturing them, treating schools like nurseries.

"One of your duties as a parent is to educate your children. You have to spend more time with your children," she said. "The school can only build on the foundations laid at home."

Panellists said most parents were too tolerant of misbehaviour, spurring on adolescents who disrespected the law.

Higgs suggested punishing parents along with their children for violence or crimes. "I believe if parents were made liable for the problems their children caused, they would stop them," he said.

Juman disagreed, responding, "It's not fair; it's a very drastic step to take." He argued that in doing that, the legal system would risk doing more harm than good.
Higgs countered, "What we need to get through to our young people is that not one person suffers, but everyone becomes a victim."

Moderator Khalilah Peters suggested also that parents always explain to their children the reason for their being punished.

Panellists said they were willing to tutor struggling students and volunteer to help protect the island from worsening crime. They agreed that this change would need a community effort. They agreed that residents must be better neighbours, wherever they lived.

"To save the youth of St. Maarten, everyone needs to be involved," said Dayalani, whose life had been rocked by a tragic crime.

"If we'd start acting like the family we used to be, you would be surprised that we'd become the family that we used to be," Joseph said.

Stressing the value of education, Juman insisted, "We have to make [education] a priority."

Commissioner William Marlin closed the discussion, praising the students for their willingness to volunteer their time and talents to the event.