Church calls on parishes to play active role in crime prevention

The Catholic Church is urging communities to become active partners in the fight against crime, insisting that public safety cannot be left solely to law enforcement agencies.

Chairman of the Catholic Commission for Social Justice, Fr Curtis Poyer, says the Church’s soon-to-be-launched publication, ‘A Pastoral Guide for Parish-Led Crime Prevention and Community Transformation’, is designed to equip parishes with practical tools to help prevent crime and strengthen communities.

Speaking during an interview on Altos, Fr Poyer said the initiative reflects the Church’s belief that crime prevention is a shared responsibility.

“Crime prevention, crime mitigation is not just the job of the police. It is also the job of communities, of parishes, of zones, in partnership with the government,” he said. “By partnership I mean networking with all these different agencies.”

Fr Poyer explained that while crime statistics provide valuable information, communities also need to understand the human impact of criminal activity.

“You could either do it in the form of general statistics and getting together numbers, but you could also do it on the basis of what happens to the individual, what happens to a family, what happens to that particular business in your parish and in your zone.”

He noted that many citizens live with a constant sense of fear, whether walking along the street, returning home at night or conducting routine activities such as withdrawing money from a bank.

“There are steps that we can take as Church, as faith-based communities, to be able to help reduce crime, to anticipate dangerous situations and to see what is happening” within neighbourhoods, he said.

‘See, Judge, Act’ model

According to Fr Poyer, the pastoral guide adopts the Catholic social action methodology of ‘See, Judge, Act,’ encouraging parishioners to become more aware of issues affecting their communities before responding collectively.

The first stage, ‘See,’ calls on parishes to establish social justice committees that gather information about local concerns, including reports of robbery, kidnapping, abuse and drug trafficking.

“Their first task is to see, to begin to pick up on the news of what is happening in their communities,” Fr Poyer explained. “They have to begin to put out the antenna, so to speak.”

By compiling and analysing information, communities can identify emerging patterns and take appropriate action before problems escalate.

Fr Poyer cited the example of a young girl from a Catholic school who was placed in a hired vehicle by a relative without confirming the driver’s identity. “You don’t know who the person is, you don’t have any idea,” he said. “Those are kinds of things that could have been prevented.”

He stressed that greater vigilance, particularly where children are concerned, can help avoid unnecessary risks.

The second stage, ‘Judge,’ encourages parishioners to evaluate community issues through the lens of Christian values.

Fr Poyer said both victims and perpetrators of crime suffer because criminal behaviour undermines the dignity with which every person is created.

“The perpetrator, by committing the crime, distorts the image of Christ… and the victim, who is the victim of injustice and violence, is distorted as well.”

He added that crime is contrary to both civil law and God’s moral law.

“Those things that we see happening in the community are not God’s will. It’s not the law of the land.”

The final stage, ‘Act,’ focuses on practical community responses. Fr Poyer said parishes should build partnerships with organisations involved in crime prevention, report suspicious activity to the authorities and encourage anonymous reporting where necessary to protect witnesses.

“The community begins to take responsibility, to begin to network with organisations that report on crime… to report to the authorities that such and such a thing is happening,” he said.

He acknowledged that many people fear retaliation from criminals but noted that anonymous reporting mechanisms can help overcome that challenge.

Fr Poyer expressed hope that the pastoral guide will empower parishes across Trinidad and Tobago to become centres of awareness, collaboration and community action.

The Catholic Commission for Social Justice is expected to officially launch ‘A Pastoral Guide for Parish-Led Crime Prevention and Community Transformation’ in the coming weeks, with plans to provide further guidance on establishing parish social justice committees and implementing the ‘See, Judge, Act’ model at the local level.

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