BAHAMAS Christian Council president Bishop Delton Fernander is urging parents to intervene when they see their children going down a criminal path.

“If you see your child or young male moving into a life which is not what you want to see in your household, you have to partner with the schools, the church, and youth programmes and make a decisive effort to change the course of direction," he said yesterday. "Even if you have to report your child as unruly."

Bishop Fernander said there is deep concern about the young men who are being killed in the country. His comments came after a double homicide claimed the lives of two male teenagers who were at a residence north of Carmichael Road on Faith Avenue on Monday.

He mentioned that gangs continue to prey on young men, resulting in many of them becoming involved in a life of crime. He noted that some boys are even joining gangs from the young age of primary school.

“We need to pay attention to our boys,” Bishop Fernander stressed.

Bishop Fernander said sometimes young men live a double life.

“The challenge is that the child in your house is different than the child at school,” he said. “We have to have a community that can speak to our children even when we're not there. I know it seems old-fashioned, but we've got to have permission as adults in the community to help change the course of our young men.”