Residents of Glanvilles and neighbouring communities packed the Glanvilles Community Center Tuesday evening for an emergency town hall meeting to address safety concerns following the murder of nine-year-old Chantel Crump.
The meeting, which drew a large crowd of concerned parents, community leaders, and law enforcement officials — both in person and online — focused on implementing immediate measures to enhance security, particularly for school children across the area.
Crump was abducted on March 12 after disembarking a school bus near her home in the Gray’s Green community. Her body was discovered in the Weatherills area on March 15, sparking nationwide outrage.
Angela Mejia, 20, has since been charged with the child’s murder and appeared in court earlier this week.
A community activist in the area presented a petition calling on the Attorney General and Minister of Public Safety to implement several security measures without delay.
“We are at the watershed moment in our communities,” he told the gathering. “It’s unfortunate that it took this incident to galvanize us in this position, but nonetheless we’ve got to capitalize on this.”
The petition calls for relocating the Willikies police station closer to the communities it serves, placing security guards around schools at the beginning and end of the school day, increasing police vehicle and foot patrols, and taking necessary steps regarding the property where Chantel was reportedly taken before her murder.
The activist emphasized the community’s resolve while acknowledging they must work within legal boundaries.
“No harm will befall the person, but the person will know of our feelings in so many different ways,” he said, referring to concerns about individuals associated with the property where the crime occurred.
An officer from the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda assured residents of increased police patrols throughout the area, both day and night.
“As the person in charge of the area, I can assure the community that you would see increased patrols, both mobile in the day and in the night,” the officer said.
The police officer also announced plans to conduct regular visits to schools, offering safety education to students. “We also want to go into the school, maybe once a week, twice a week, and give tips to the students on how they can protect themselves and how they can function.”
During the meeting, multiple attendees raised concerns about perceived deficiencies in how missing persons cases are handled, particularly the outdated practice of waiting 48 hours to report missing children.
One resident confronted the officials, stating: “This is the tired thing that I do not like. We’re not doing anything to mitigate against what is happening. A few days ago, this last report of the missing child, a police officer would have been telling somebody in 2025 you have to wait 24-48 hours to report a missing child.”
When asked whether Antigua has an Amber Alert system to notify the public about missing children, police officials confirmed no such system currently exists on the island.
However, that appears set to be changed since the Cabinet has accepted a proposal for an emergency message-sending system that will allow all cellular phone users to receive an alert whenever a report of a missing child is filed with police.
The messaging system will be named the “Chantel Alert” in memory of the murdered nine-year-old.
An educator who attended the meeting shared resources available from the Ministry of Education to help parents discuss safety with their children.
“I strongly recommend that if you are not talking about these things with your children, that you help make this available to the families in our community because it’s very helpful to get the conversation started,” she said. “A lot of times the perpetrator is known to our children.”
She also warned about online dangers: “Predators don’t only prey in person, they prey online. Many of the young people today have TikTok accounts, Instagram accounts. They are posting dancing videos where they are dressed in revealing clothing, and there are people watching this stuff 24 hours a day looking to prey on our children.”
Meanwhile, a parent expressed concerns about the safety of children walking to and from Sir Novelle Richards Academy, noting poorly lit areas and overgrown vegetation that create hazards for students.
“When we were going to school … parents could stand on the hill and watch us go to school. We can’t do that now with the bush,” the parent said. “They have to walk somewhere with no one around. What I am thinking is that maybe already you can help us with getting some of the bush cleared so that we can see more of the school.”
Many attendees emphasized the need to reestablish a neighbourhood watch programme.
One resident described a previous successful initiative: “We had a setup where we had a chain of command. For example, if someone sees something suspicious, they’re not going to go there. You have three or four people who are responsible for that period and inform them.”
Community members also discussed utilizing existing WhatsApp groups to report suspicious activities, with one resident suggesting, “You have that WhatsApp group with phone numbers. So any suspicious activity, you’re posting in there.”
The meeting concluded with plans to organize formal community-led security initiatives, including volunteer patrols, especially during school commuting hours. Police officials encouraged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities, promising improved response times and accountability.
The town hall meeting followed widespread protests last week when scores of residents gathered outside Police Headquarters on American Road demanding justice for Chantel and calling for the death penalty for those responsible.
