CRIME CRUSADE

Chairman of the Crime Monitoring Oversight Committee (CMOC) Lloyd Distant says consensus is lacking on several issues, including legislation and accountability, that may be hindering any significant reduction in lawlessness in Jamaica.

Distant’s comment comes amid calls from the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) for the Government to re-engage with the CMOC, alongside the Opposition, private sector, and civil society, to finalise the revised memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the National Consensus on Crime.

“We stress the urgency of including a holistic approach encompassing education, social transformation, and reform of law enforcement, justice, and penal systems,” the PSOJ said in a statement on Thursday.

Distant, in a Gleaner interview hours afterward, said one of the eight pillars of the consensus has to do with the issue of accountability and corruption, but suggested that that has stalled.

“Those areas, I think we all recognise, we need to see more progress. So whether it is on the Jamaica Accountability Meter Portal, which measures the progress on reports from the auditor general, a lot of work still needs to be done there,” Distant said.

“There are some legislation like the Proceeds of Crime Act and how unexplained wealth orders are treated under the Proceeds of Crime Act. There is also the issue of putting in place a new bribery act. Those are all things that the stakeholders had said in the initial consensus that we need to have but we don’t have yet,” he added.

Distant said that the Government has acknowledged that the pieces of legislation are important and has indicated that it will work towards delivering them.

“So we’re expecting in the updated consensus a new commitment on those areas,” he said.

He noted that the Government has not been as active with CMOC over that last year as it has been in previous years but said that it has re-engaged in the last four weeks and has had active discussions around updating the consensus.

He said that the call from the Opposition and the PSOJ for the Holness Administration to re-engage is less about CMOC and more about the consensus on crime.

“They have come back to the table, and we have been having productive discussions over the last few weeks, looking at an updated and refreshed consensus,” said Distant.

He said that it is widely understood that reducing crime and corruption is urgent.

Meanwhile, the PSOJ said that the revised MoU would, among other critical elements, detail the Enhanced Security Measures (ESM) Act, empowering law enforcement with the legal provisions to move decisively against known offenders and strengthen the criminal justice system’s response.

It has recommended that a collaborative effort is fostered between the Government and the Opposition to expedite the drafting and legislative passage of the ESM Act, noting that it is a matter of “great urgency” to address the nation’s critical condition.

The PSOJ said that Prime Minister Andrew Holness must lead with inclusivity, expecting a cooperative response from the Opposition, and is calling for a non-political, unified strategy in combating crime.

“Our citizens deserve to live without fear and to raise their families in a secure environment. This commitment to a safer Jamaica must be shared across all sectors of society,” the body said.

At the same time, the organisation declared its support for the Government in its proclamation of a state of emergency in St James on Wednesday. It said that the decision is a critical response to the escalating gang violence that has plagued the parish, evidenced most tragically by the senseless killing of two young students and a man on Monday.

It said while it recognised the SOE as an immediate measure to curb the current tide of violence, it should be seen as a temporary solution and not a permanent fix.

The organisation insists that a comprehensive and sustainable crime-fighting strategy must be put forward.

kimone.francis@gleanerjm.com