THE group Spanish Town Citizens Against Gun Violence, has taken matters into their own hands to protect the children in that city against predators. They have decided to produce and distribute bumper stickers designed to keep residents on their toes, by reminding them to call 311 if they spot a child in danger.

"A couple of months ago when they started killing the children I said to myself.what we need to do is a child alert system. We want to alert the people in Spanish Town and hopefully all Jamaica will follow suit," Rosemarie Greene, convenor of the non-governmental organisation told the Observer. "We need to be alert in Spanish Town and we need to come back to the village where everybody is watching - not that this is going to stop the killing, but is going to create awareness."

GREENE. hopes initiative will be duplicated islandwide

Greene said she felt compelled to launch the system in light of the number of children that have been killed since the start of the year. She said it was also done out of a concern for the scores of children seen begging on the roads in Spanish Town who could fall prey to predators.

Greene said she has received $25,000 from overseas to start the initiative, but more funding is need to print at least 3,000 bumper sticks.

"This will be going on all bumpers, all police cars," added Greene who is also a native of Spanish Town. "We are going to have different places where we will go and distribute them to motorists. Once you create awareness that is the key."

Greene is hoping that this initiative will be duplicated islandwide.

"What I expect is that all the 14 parishes will follow suit. That is the object and that we will see a rapid decline in the number of children being murdered," she said. "[The current murder rate for children] is not acceptable."