MORE AND MORE FEMALES are committing violent acts of crime.
In fact, according to Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite, a recent study has shown that compared to the 1980s, they were now twice as likely to be involved in violent crimes.
Describing the development as a “worrisome trend”, Brathwaite said although males were still the chief offenders, females also needed to be targeted for intervention.
“In recent times we have witnessed a worrisome trend among our females. Research conducted over the past six months has identified that in the 1980s, boys were four times as likely as girls to be arrested for a violent crime,” he said during yesterday’s National Consultation On Violence at the Gymnasium of the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex.
“Today, boys are only twice as likely as girls to be arrested for violent crimes. Therefore our females must also be targeted for intervention, given that the nature of crime in Barbados is rapidly changing.
“Based on this research, it is clear that crime is a result of social issues that must be addressed with social interventions,” he added.
Delivering a presentation on a gang study done two years ago, senior research officer at the Criminal Justice Research and Planning Unit, Kim Ramsay, also revealed that females were now featuring more prominently in gangs.
