Voices from the Streets Part 51- Play Your Role

Constable Jeffrey Castillo (right) with Nixon Dickenson

By Nixon Dickenson

In this week’s article of Voices from the Streets, I would like to share my conversation with Constable Jeffrey Castillo.

 Constable Castillo dedicates his time to serving and protecting our communities and mentoring our boys. He serves as the assistant basketball and rugby coach for the Helena Jones Robinson High School. Additionally, he is a member of the Concrete Jungle Basketball program along with Omari Morris. He is the officer responsible for the DARE program at the Ona Glinton Primary School and the Helena Jones Robinson High School. He is also a member of the Grand Turk Dominican Softball Committee, passing on valuable skills of the game to upcoming players.

Constable Castillo sees his acts of service as playing his role in ensuring that our young boys are engaging in positive activities with positive role models. He reflected on his upbringing and the positive influences in his life, which are a primary driver for his wanting to do the same for other young people. He became a police officer because he values service and is confident that positive relationships between the police and the community will be the game changer in fighting crime.

He spoke passionately about developing trust with the youths because trust is essential for healthy relationships. He encourages young people to speak up and share information that could help prevent crime from happening, even when they are fearful, as there is an obligation from law enforcement to protect them. If one crime is stopped before it happens, it makes our society a safer place.

His plea to the youth is to find every opportunity to engage in positive environments and with people who will influence them to make the right choices. He believes that sports are an outlet that will help youths engage in positive activities, and he encourages every youth to learn a sport. He reminded the community that police officers are here to serve and protect, but they will need the support of citizens to do this job effectively. His advice is to play your role.

Constable Jeffrey Castillo is an inspiring figure in our community! His dedication to mentoring young people and fostering positive relationships is truly commendable. He is making a significant impact through his coaching of basketball and rugby and his involvement in various programs and committees.

His plea to the youths to engage in positive environments and activities and his reminder to the community that police officers need citizen support to effectively serve and protect are inspiring. His emphasis on developing trust between the police and the community, encouraging young people to speak up and share information to prevent crime, is timely and noteworthy. Thank you, Constable Castillo, for all that you are doing. Continue to be a pillar in our community.