Night is a time of behaviours dark and wild and bright.  Night is a time of privacy.  This day in the country, however, what is time of peace for one is also a time of violence for a growing number of young people.  We live in a time of change that compels us to look deeper into our own souls.

Our small and happy society is no longer at peace with itself.  This is no exaggeration.  We should be able to accept this much, at least.  For why are the police beginning to frisk people after 10pm?  Crime rates may have gone down by numbers appreciable, but intensity has grown by much more.

Where have we failed as parents and elders?  And why?  We need to ask these questions.

The initiative the police have taken is welcome.  We need to protect innocent citizens from wanton acts of violence, fuelled by disillusionment, drugs and others intoxicants that our young people are increasingly resorting to.  A thing about promises is that they often fly beyond reality.

What our young people need today is a place where they can comfortably be and prosper as their skills allow them to be.  These are the times when jobs are scarce.  It is, therefore, the responsibility of the government of the day to create employment opportunities for our young people in the light of the fact that we are a country with a predominantly young population.

Our demographic change stands at an interesting stage.  Our window of opportunity is small.  We are running short of time.  Statistics from National Statistics Bureau tells us so.  The burden of economy and welfare will fall on our young people, who are running riot in the streets, trying to make sense of their own purpose.

The police have issued a communiqué with pictures of weapons our young people carry to protect themselves and to eliminate the hurdles standing in the way of their personal dreams.  These are loud and harsh cries from parts of our society that we have ignored for far too long in the process of development.

Frisking is a good initiative.  But how police deal with it will matter much more than the initiative itself.  There is only a thin line between privacy and authority.  Any little shift in balance will cause differences and divisions that will have us in a trouble and require us to look at our own well-thought out actions.

Initiatives to make our society safe and peaceful are welcome.  What the people are worried about is that law enforcers could cross the leeway with powers they are bestowed with.

Getting at the leg first will not solve the problem until we delve deep into the heart of the problem itself.  There must be reasons why our young people roam the street with weapons all day and night long.

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