Laws To Be Amended To Strengthen Strategies To Fight Crime

The Government intends to amend key pieces of legislation to bolster the country’s crime-fighting strategies.

They include the Proceeds of Crime Act, the Anti-Money Laundering Act, and the Firearms Act.

This was disclosed by Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, during his address to Heads of Missions, at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, on March 3.

Dr. Chang said the amendments are intended to strengthen the existing frameworks while ensuring that players who participate in criminal activities in Jamaica are held accountable.

“It is important to have a strong Firearms Act that will hold those who bring in illegal firearms accountable and where necessary, put them away for a long time. The Act is being amended and will be brought to the House shortly,” he noted.

“We have reviewed our anti-gang legislation to ensure we also have stronger legal framework to apprehend and prosecute and lock up the gangsters. We have had some success [but] it still needs to go some way,” he added.

Dr. Chang said the Government has taken a hard-line approach to dismantling criminal gangs. “We have been clear and unwavering in the policy directive that police must get the guns, and apprehend the dons,” he emphasised.

Meanwhile, the Minister informed that the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) should be fully operational by month-end.

“The unit is designed to deal with corruption and intelligence in a particular way. We have been assisted by a number of partners. The Regulations have been approved and we should have a fully operational MOCA by the end of this month because we will take it to Parliament during the course of the budget week,” Dr. Chang pointed out.

“It is necessary to develop such an agency, not only because of intelligence capacity but because it is focused on anti-corruption,” he added.