Support for at-risk youth was at the forefront of discussion Tuesday night as residents of Smith Bay, other concerned citizens and social organizations met for a panel discussion about crime in their community and in the territory at large.

The Smith Bay Community Action Foundation hosted the community meeting that featured panel participants from Crime Stoppers, Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Virgin Islands Housing Authority, the V.I. Police Department and My Brother’s Workshop.

Nearly 30 people came out to discuss issues with crime in the area – as well as to ask relevant questions to the panel about what is being done to reduce crime in the territory.

Officer Roy Chesterfield, president of the Smith Bay Community Action Foundation, said that meetings like this one happen twice a month and they help to get residents involved in caring about the community.

The foundation was founded by Chesterfield and Samuel Rey in 2010. Chesterfield said communities need to fix their own problems and a community group like this one will force officials to "step up their game."

Smith Bay isn’t the only area having these meetings. Next week there will be a meeting at Tutu High Rise discussing similar issues.

James Latham, law enforcement coordinator at the U.S. attorney’s office and member of Project Safe Neighborhoods, said these community forum meetings came out of the three major anti-gang conferences, which were judged to be quite effective.

Latham said that once they saw that opening a dialogue could make significant change, they contacted the Housing Authority to organize town forum talks on a regular basis, and they are now held in a number of communities including Tutu High Rise, Oswald Harris Court and Kirwan Terrace.

At the Smith Bay meeting panel members took turns introducing themselves to the audience.

Sen. Judi Buckley, who was instrumental in bringing the national Crime Stoppers program to the territory, clarified how that program works. She explained that tipsters can submit information related to criminal activity online or by phone. They remain anonymous and are eligible for cash rewards. "To date no tipster across the universe has ever been discovered as a result of some fault in the system," Buckley said.

Scott Bradley represented My Brother’s Workshop, a nonprofit organization that helps at-risk youth; Derrick Venzen represented the Housing Authority; and Police Chief Darren Foy and detective Mark Joseph came out to answer questions for their department.

Smith Bay residents were the majority of those in attendance, but people showed up from all over, including senatorial candidates Bruce Flamon and Justin Harrigan Sr. and gubernatorial candidate Moleto Smith Jr.

Flamon suggested that Crime Stoppers increase their maximum pay out for homicide tipsters from $2,500 to $10,000.

Buckley said statistically higher rewards don’t produce a stronger incentive to report information. "We find here, especially in such a small community, the biggest deterrent that keeps people from calling in is fear. It has nothing to do with what they may get from it or not," she said.

Another deterrent, she explained, was that people want to protect family members or loved ones that are committing criminal acts out of a sense of love and loyalty.

While Buckley said it would be difficult for Crime Stoppers to meet such high amounts, she suggested a reward fund from private citizens through the Police Department.

Trudie Prior, general manager of Coral World in Smith Bay, asked the panel to talk about crime reducing measures. Prior said she struggles with whether gangs are the source of crime or whether it’s a result of other issues such as lack of activity for youth and unemployment.

"All you have to do is care," Bradley said. "The problem is I hear way too many people saying what should be done, but they don’t get in the game at all. They don’t step out of their comfort zone."

Another issue discussed at the meeting was a need for tougher gun possession laws. "Until we get serious and start looking at this gun violence as a serious thing, nothing is going to change," Joseph said.

The street addressing project was discussed as an answer to slow response times by ambulances and law enforcement entities, and Avram Primack, an environmental data manager at the University of the Virgin Islands, announced that he is working with the Lieutenant Governor’s Office on finishing the project by the end of the summer.

Proposals included more activities and mentorship programs for youth, increased public involvement in at risk communities and a stronger education system.

Foy said he would try to increase the presence of police officers in problem areas, getting them out of their vehicles to walk around and talk to people.

Bradley advocated "doing the hard thing" and turning in youth when they have committed lesser crimes before they graduate to a serious offense. "I tell my kids all the time, I’ll be the first one that turns you in," he said, "but I’ll be on the other side to help you when it’s all said and done."