The best way to reduce crime and violence, according to Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell, is via education. He made the point that the Caribbean region has one of the worst rates of crime in the world.

The regional symposium on violence as a public health issue in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, which concludes later today, forced Mitchell to leave early for his native country.

The 44-year-old Mitchell, who took office last year, addressed the audience on the subject of “Education and Youth,” noting that the Caribbean region’s high rates of gang-related and interpersonal violence make young people there particularly prone to violence.

Creating violence prevention programs in schools, according to him, can be essential to ensure that young people, particularly those who are at risk, are exposed to and taught how to master competencies like conflict resolution, effective communication, and emotional intelligence.

He added that there was a need to engage youth outside of the school setting and that it was preferable to promote youth opportunity and mental wellbeing than early exposure to violence.