The first time Patrick Tituspulled the trigger of a gun he was only 14 years old.

"It felt good," Titus told The Sunday Gleaner during an interview last week.

Power and control oozed from his fingertips as he squeezed the trigger of the Taurus nine millimetre handgun, spraying shots at a group of young boys from a rival community in Spanish Town.

"Is all about defending yuh turf and yuh family. A nuh something weh yuh want to do, a something weh you must do. Is survival," Titus said.

When he was 16 years old, Titus was accused of his first murder. Before he turned 18 he was among Spanish Town's most wanted. Now 21, Titus has already spent five years in prison.

Titus is among hundreds of Jamaican youths who have become caught in the vicious cycle of violent crime.

According to the Planning Institute of Jamaica's Vision 2030 publication, there is an age dimension to the commission of crime, in Jamaica.

Teenage boys and young men between 15 and 25 years old are the largest subgroup involved as both the primary victims or perpetrators of violent crimes, and murder in particular.

grown younger

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Hugh Bish of the Kingston Western Division said that over the years the face of crime has undoubtedly grown younger.

"In this division, we see a lot of youngsters involved in crime, often they are the main perpetrators, from about 15 years to about mid-20s," he told The Sunday Gleaner. "Sometimes they are as young as 14, and I wouldn't even be surprised to see some who are younger."

DSP Bish suggested that one of the main reasons for younger males getting involved in violent crimes is that adults often use them as pawns because they believe the system is more keen to protect the juvenile.

'lesser sentence'

"They know that a juvenile will get a lesser sentence or they believe that the punishment will be less severe," he reasoned.

Detective inspector Paul Thomas, crime chief for St Catherine North Division, which includes Spanish Town, has also come face to face with these "young killers".

Thomas told The Sunday Gleaner that the police have arrested persons as young as 12 years old for their involvement in robberies and break-ins.

He said at present the majority of criminals on the St Catherine North Police Division most-wanted list are 20 years and younger. "I can only think of one person in his 40s who we are currently pursuing for his involvement in gun crime. Everybody else is in their 20s and below 20," he informed.

Thomas said the older criminals, in their early 30s, are often the ones wielding the power - controlling the gangs and calling the shots. But the real 'shottas', the ones carrying out the gun crimes and committing the murders are the young boys.

Superintendent Cornwall 'Bigga' Ford, who currently heads the downtown Kingston-based Flying Squad Unit, also agreed that a large proportion of crime and violence is being committed by young boys.

"From 12 up and they are involved in all types of crime, from housebreaking to murder," he said. "We have seen boys as young as 12 years old in gangs," he said.

Names changed on request.

athaliah.reynolds@gleanerjm.com