By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Deputy Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

IN Light of recent child kidnappings in the capital, former Social Services Minister Melanie Griffin said yesterday authorities need to “drop everything” and see to it the MARCO Alert system is implemented fully.

In the meantime, Mrs Griffin questioned why there hasn’t been a full-fledged awareness campaign where sketches of the alleged perpetrator are centre stage and information of what should be done to avoid becoming a victim is prevalent.

She spoke in the aftermath of another abduction on Friday night following a three-week lull of similar incidents happening. Two boys ages eight and ten were standing in front of their residence around 9pm when a woman driving a silver vehicle stopped and began talking to the children, police said.

“The ten-year-old boy walked away, (but) the woman lured the eight-year-old into her vehicle and drove off,” police said. “A short time later, the eight-year old-boy was dropped off on Tonique Williams Darling Highway near to the entrance of the city dump. The boy was reunited with his parents, however he was taken to hospital, where he was examined by doctor and is in good health.”

Mrs Griffin said it is hard to determine the abductor’s motive.

“It’s difficult to determine the objective of the persons involved because they certainly are just moving the children from one place to the next and leaving them unattended wherever it is that they are taking them,” the former Cabinet minister said yesterday.

“I don’t know if they think it’s a game, but you can’t play with children’s lives like that. It is very traumatic for a child to be taken out of their element by strangers.

“Whoever is doing it ought to cease and desist because this is a new phenomenon for us in this country. We are not used to it and it really goes to show the level of social reprieve that we are in this country at this time.”

She continued: “We also need a lot of public education with regards to children which certainly social services does do a bit of, but its time to increase it and to really make the public aware of the steps that ought to be taken to protect children.

“It’s a shame that you can’t allow your child to be in front of your yard at your houses. It’s a shame and its frightening for parents and children and I believe that all the agencies that are involved have to get together and create some type of programme to raise the level of awareness with families.”

Noting an awareness campaign on the incidents should be nationwide, Mrs Griffin speculated that many in the eastern portion of the island, where most of the abductions have happened, have no knowledge a kidnapper is on the loose and that they could be in danger.

“There has to be some efforts to increase the level of awareness in the area. All the agencies need to get together and put on a special public education awareness programme for these areas and for the protection of children.”

The Nassau Guardian reported Monday that police now believe that four of the cases are connected.

The newspaper reported police are also seeking a person of interest, said to be the same unnamed suspect who they previously released an artist’s rendering of in an all-points bulletin.

“We have a strong belief that four of those incidents are connected and that’s based on several things,” Chief Superintendent Solomon Cash told The Guardian.

He said police were interviewing witnesses who have given similar descriptions of a vehicle that police were still searching for.

“What I would also add is, with the recent incident, we are following some leads,” CSP Cash said. 

“Again, it’s a bit early to be definitive in saying that that is the person that we suspected but that individual is a person of interest and we will soon be bringing that individual into custody to speak with,” he told the local daily.