Pre-emptive strike
PM mulls new laws to tackle ‘terrorists’; commish says Gregory Park thugs will be dealt with in ‘the most forceful fashion’
Published:Tuesday | August 15, 2023 | 12:10 AMRuddy Mathison/Gleaner Writer
PRIME MINISTER Andrew Holness said that there might be need for legislation that allows the security forces to take pre-emptive action against criminal gangs.
His comment comes in the wake of a devastating terror attack that left more than 45 residents homeless, including women and children, in Gregory Park, Portmore, over the weekend.
Addressing the affected residents during a visit to the community yesterday, Holness highlighted the gravity of the situation, emphasising that the actions of these criminal gangs, whom he referred to as “terrorists”, not only wreak havoc on innocent lives but also pose a significant threat to national security.
And while specific details of the legislation Holness has in mind are yet to be disclosed, he suggested that it must include provisions to enhance law enforcement’s capacity to combat organised crime by acting pre-emptively.
“We might have to create new laws so that we are able to act in a pre-emptive way to treat with these terrorists and criminals, but of course, there is an element in the society who does not want us to empower the police force to act pre-emptively,” Holness noted.
Holness says the act carried out in Gregory Park was not one carried out by just ‘gangsters’. He said it is an act of terror designed to spread fear, because the criminals hold a different belief.
“Those young men and women who became so emboldened that they could go and purchase gasolene, put it in containers and walk to the gate in open view of everyone and proceed to light houses on fire. That is to say, ‘We fear no one’,” he lamented.
“Who is directing them and who are they connected to?”
Meanwhile, Commissioner of Police Antony Anderson, who was also on the tour, pledged that those who are responsible will be brought to justice.
“We are up to the task. We will go and find these people,” said Anderson. “This something that we’ll address in the most forceful fashion as far as the rule of law commits.”
He further disclosed that they have deployed additional personnel in the area for the safety of residents.
“We have pushed additional assets into the space and that seems to be holding. The group that came over didn’t only consist of men, but also women,” he shared. “Rest assured that we will remain in the space as long as the threat is there.”
Anderson also said that they are tracking suspects.
Meanwhile, as he stressed that the Government’s priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of all citizens, Holness highlighted that they need support to make the pushback against criminals more effective.
“So we continue to build out our intelligence and our database so that within hours after they commit these crimes, we are able to respond. But what value is this to the victim if we are not able to act not only on speculation, but on good intelligence which was the power of the state of emergency and we used it to good effect,” the prime minister declared.
The opposition People’s National Party has often pushed back against the Government’s use of states of emergency as a crime-fighting strategy.
Part of Holness’ plan for Gregory Park is to promote community engagement initiatives to address the underlying socioeconomic factors contributing to the rise of criminal gangs.
“So we have to engage in a process, working with the MP and other government organisations and the police to bring the youths together in the area to show up the folly in what they are engaged in. What I’m talking about is restorative justice,” Holness said.
He extended condolence to victims of the recent attack and assured them that the Government is committed to providing the support and resources to help them rebuild their lives, including housing and back-to-school supplies.