Fahie wants special curfew for bad behaving minors

Leader of Opposition Andrew Fahie has called for the proposed curfew law to be amended to include specific cut-off hours for minors who he said are becoming unfavourably precocious.

The curfew bill was passed eventually yesterday during the first House of Assembly sitting since the devastating Hurricane Irma struck a month ago.

Before the bill was passed, Fahie argued: “This is the right time to input a lot of other things in this bill – even a section about minors, because we have a problem. It has been a problem with certain of our minors displaying undesirable behaviour for a few years, and we cannot continue to turn a blind eye to it.”

“At certain times, we gonna have to address it, so might as well – if the Act doesn’t allow it now [during the open debate], in the committee stage, find a way to put it in,” Fahie added.

It is not yet clear if his proposal was accepted because the media is not allowed to cover the ‘committee stage’ of deliberations in the House.

In the meantime, Marlon Penn, a junior Government minister, told the House that he agreed with the opposition leader.

“One aspect that I also would like to add as well is the concern that the Leader of Opposition raised in terms of expanding it (the curfew bill) somehow. I don’t know if this is the time to do that, but I think this is something that needs to be considered whether in the future or so forth,” Penn said.

The proposed curfew law will, among other things, enable the government to impose curfews without the governor first having to declare a state of emergency.

A state of emergency, as well as a curfew, has been in effect locally since Hurricane Irma struck on September 6. Although the state of emergency was to be lifted last night, Premier Dr D Orlando Smith said the curfew would continue. It runs from 8pm to 6am daily.