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There has been an outpouring of concern for the son of CEO of Mayberry Investments and Chairman of Supreme Ventures, Gary Peart who was shot and injured outside Jamaica House on Hope Road, Kingston.

Young Aaron Peart and his friend had to stop the car they were travelling in to change a flat tyre when they were set upon by gun men on motorcycles who attempted to rob them.

This is every parent’s nightmare and one can only imagine the turmoil Peart’s parents went through.

Why was the young man and his friend shot?

It has been revealed they were driving in a Porsche and perhaps the assailants were tracking them to steal the luxurious high-end vehicle.

What is disturbing is a pattern may develop where the children of the well-to-do are being stalked and threatened when they are in vulnerable positions.

They could be targeted at parties, bars and nightclubs, followed then robbed at gun point.

The Peart situation will make parents more vigilant and could lead to generational tensions. Anxious parents will want to know their children’s whereabouts and may insist that they become less conspicuous in fancy cars, while the young folk may see this as impeding their independence and a shackle on their burgeoning adulthood.

Getting that call in the wee small hours fills every parent with dread and sends many into prayer.

In some countries where the children of high profile personages are targeted, there is special protection afforded them. They travel with a security detail, bodyguards are by their side. Will this now happen in Jamaica as the crime situation worsens?

Will more affluent parents have to get their grown children out of Jamaica in order to shield them from the more pernicious aspects of the crime and violence epidemic.

Gary Peart has proven to be a leading light as a corporate citizen and cares deeply about the welfare of his country. What is he going through? What will he be thinking? How best can he protect his son in the future?

The police have come under severe criticism for its inertia and not springing into action in a timely fashion on this case. It will have to re-evaluate its procedures given the increase in violent crime and the possibility of more robberies like this one.

Some say there needs to be more CCTVs installed across the country’s road networks and this will go some way to reducing criminality in Jamaica and help to provide more evidence for the police.

One has to ask the question, why did Gary Peart have to get out of his bed to carry his son to the hospital? Where were the police here?

Many people would have paid attention to this shooting and worry for their children.