It is not unusual to see children selling various items especially foodstuff downtown Kingston because some of them are assisting their parents or just selling to support themselves.

A policewoman related recently an experience she had with a child she met at a traffic light in Kingston.

"I was driving my motorcar along Spanish Town Road when a boy about 12 years old approached me asking me to buy some foodstuff from him.

I was at the traffic light and when the light changed I drove across and stopped. The boy came up to me selling sweets and chocolate bars. I told him I did not want any to buy.

He seemed to be a very polite and intelligent child so I began to question him. He told me he did not know where his mother was because she had gone away and left him years ago.

The Armadale report

I questioned him and learnt that he was attending school and was doing well. I gave him $500 and told him to meet me at the same spot the next Saturday and show me his school report.

Well, to my surprise the boy turned up the next Saturday with his school report. I examined the report and found that the boy was well behaved and had a 70 per cent average.

I contemplated taking him to a place of safety but my conscience could not allow me to do so because I am aware of the conditions that exist in some of those homes, especially in light of the Armadale report. I can only hope that the boy will continue to be of good behaviour, study hard and don't get himself involved in any wrongdoing," the policewoman said.

The Armadale report stemmed from an enquiry which the government ordered after seven girls perished in a fire at the Armadale Juvenile Correctional Centre, St Ann, in May last year. Retired court of appeal judge Paul Harrison conducted the enquiry and gave a comprehensive report condemning the conditions which existed at the home when the fire occurred. He said, the facility should only have housed five girls instead of 23.

Under the Child Care and Protection Act, which was passed in March 2004, a child is defined as a person under the age of 18 years. Section 13 of the Act gives the police or authorised persons the power to bring a child needing care or protection before a children's court so that the best interests of the child can be determined and the relevant order made.

"I contemplated taking him to a place of safety but my conscience could not allow me to do so because I am aware of the conditions that exist in some of those homes especially in light of the Armadale report. I can only hope that the boy will continue to be of good behaviour, study hard and don't get himself involved in any wrongdoing," the policewoman said.