Police are stepping up efforts to address a recent increase in chain-snatching incidents, with Prime Minister Gaston Browne saying teenagers are believed to be responsible for many of the offences.

Speaking on the Browne and Browne Show on Saturday, Browne said law enforcement authorities have identified the trend and are developing strategies to curb the crimes.

“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 said the incidents remain a concern despite Antigua and Barbuda maintaining a relatively low crime rate compared with many countries in the region.

He urged young people to avoid criminal activity and instead take advantage of government programmes aimed at education, skills training and employment.

Browne also highlighted the success of intervention initiatives targeting at-risk youth, noting that several former gang members have since graduated from the Antigua and Barbuda Institute of Continuing Education (ABICE) and acquired skills to help 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.

He said the government intends to continue investing in programmes that provide alternatives to crime while supporting police efforts to maintain public safety.

Browne emphasized that Antigua and Barbuda must remain a safe country for residents and visitors alike, adding that preventing youth involvement in crime remains a key priority.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Police Targeting Rise in Chain-Snatching Incidents.