Vitebsk region police officers will attend parent-teacher meetings to prevent juvenile delinquency

Police officers of the Vitebsk region will attend school parent-teacher meetings to update on their role in child upbringing and the prevention of juvenile delinquency. This was announced to journalists by Alexander Rukol, Head of the Public Order and Prevention Department of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Regional Executive Committee, during a break in the joint meeting of the Regional Coordination Council for the Implementation of Decree No. 18 and the Juvenile Affairs Commission of the Regional Executive Committee.

Over the past 9 months, there has been a slight increase in juvenile crime in the region: from 213 in 2014 to 214 in the current year. At the same time, a significant increase in the number of juvenile crimes is noted in the Pervomaysky district of Vitebsk, Gluboksky, Ushachsky, Lepelsky, and other regions. "To stabilize the situation among youth, we, together with other prevention entities, are carrying out activities to involve teenagers, including those under supervision, in useful activities. However, this is not enough. Therefore, we now want to work more closely with parents, who should devote more time to raising their children. Not all children attend clubs and sections; many stay at home with computers or, worse, fall under someone's bad influence," explained Alexander Rukol.

Tamara Olekhnovich, Deputy Chairperson of the Juvenile Affairs Commission of the Regional Executive Committee, also reminded about the importance of parental responsibility. According to her, since the beginning of the year, 935 parents have been fined or warned for improper performance of their duties, which resulted in their child violating the law. Moreover, in 21 cases, this violation was being in a state of drug intoxication. In this regard, attention during conversations with parents will primarily be focused on the spread of spice and mix drugs.

Law enforcement officers have already addressed this topic in every educational institution, explaining criminal liability and other consequences. "Currently, we will attend all parent-teacher meetings to convey this information," added Alexander Rukol. He also noted that thefts prevail in the overall structure of juvenile delinquency. However, there has been an increase in car thefts (from 11 to 16), hooliganism (from 14 to 19), and causing grievous bodily harm (from 0 to 2). This indicates a lack of proper educational work and insufficient engagement of teenagers in activities.

Ekaterina Knyazeva, BELTA.