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Young men and women from the Kew Park Police Youth Club in eastern Westmoreland are today engaging members of the wider community, including those from Belvedere and Lambs River, in friendly rivalry though sports.

Leroy Gordon, president of the club, said its seven-a-side football competition has been very effective in helping to mend broken trust, establishing friendships, and forging lasting bonds among the youth in these communities.

He said that the youth in the Rat Trap area have found productive ways in engaging each other through sports. Chief among those activities is the football league that has served to capture their attention by bringing them together on neutral grounds.

“What we find are that many of the youth here in Rat Trap, neighbouring Lambs River, and the Belvedere community are now getting along very well, primarily those who didn’t necessarily have any form of interaction with each other; and if they did, it wasn’t pleasant,” Gordon told WESTERN STAR.

“They are now competing against each other in a friendly football competition every Sunday afternoon; and for the past four years since coming to this community, I have not heard or seen violent incidents at any of these games, whether here in Rat Trap or in Lambs River. So I know it is helping to bring them together,” he said.

Gordon shared that given what existed among the youth before, the community is very fortunate that there has not been an upsurge of crime over the last year, and that there were six murders recorded in the community in the last four years.

“I want to believe that it has a lot to do with the positive community interactions that the youth are now having in terms of the community football league organised by the Kew Park and Lambs River police youth clubs, respectively,” he said.