Police are intensifying efforts to combat a surge in chain-snatching incidents across Antigua and Barbuda, with Prime Minister Gaston Browne indicating that teenagers are believed to be behind many of the offences.
According to Antigua News Room, Browne addressed the issue during an appearance on the Browne and Browne Show on Saturday, stating that law enforcement authorities have identified the trend and are actively developing strategies to bring it under control.
"We've seen an increase in chain snatching," Browne said. "Those individuals are pretty young people. I'm told some of them are teenagers."
The prime minister acknowledged the incidents as a concern, while noting that Antigua and Barbuda continues to maintain a relatively low crime rate compared with many other countries in the region. He urged young people to steer clear of criminal activity and instead take advantage of government programmes focused on education, skills training and employment.
Browne also pointed to the success of existing intervention initiatives targeting at-risk youth. He noted that several former gang members have since graduated from the Antigua and Barbuda Institute of Continuing Education (ABICE) and acquired marketable skills that have helped them secure employment.
"The intervention that we have actually made would have saved a number of them and reformed them to the extent that many of them now have a skill," Browne said.
The government intends to continue investing in programmes that offer alternatives to crime, Browne added, while maintaining its support for police efforts to preserve public safety. He emphasised that keeping Antigua and Barbuda safe for both residents and visitors remains a key national priority, and that preventing youth involvement in criminal activity is central to that goal.
