“Anti-gang bill tabled” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article;

“A person convicted of involvement in gang activity would be liable to a $100,000 fine and a 25-year prison term, under the Anti-Gang Bill, tabled in the House of Assembly yesterday.

A gang leader or member who commits one or more of the 15 offenses listed in the bill as gang activity would be subject to the specified penalty.

These activities include, among other things, recruiting someone to join a gang; committing an offense for the financial benefit of a gang; instructing a gang member to commit a serious offense; threatening someone with retaliation in response to violence against a gang member/leader; or endangering someone’s life or causing damage to property on behalf of a gang.

Under the bill, someone who performs an act as part of a condition for a gang membership or who professes to be a gang member in order to promote a gang or intimidate someone to join a gang would face up to seven years in prison.

If someone dies as a result of gang activity, the person responsible for the killing would face life in prison.

The bill also carries a prison term for people who harbor gang leaders or members, including parents of children engaged in the activity. This would carry a prison term of up to 20 years.

A person who commits retaliation against someone, their relatives, friends, associates or property would face a prison term of up to 20 years.

This relates to retaliation against someone who refuses to be a part of a gang; who leaves a gang; who gives information to police about a gang or gang activity; who gives evidence in the prosecution of a gang leader/member; or who refuses to comply with a gang leader’s or member’s order, among other scenarios.

The bill also includes stiff penalties for knowingly counseling, giving instructions to, financing or supporting a gang member in furtherance of the gang’s participation or involvement in gang-related activity. A conviction on this offense would bring a prison term of up to 25 years.

In cases where the gang leader or member is a child and the person convicted of sheltering them is a parent/guardian, the court “shall take into consideration mitigating factors such as efforts made by the person convicted to reform or rehabilitate the child”.

The bill also carries a penalty of up to 25 years for people who knowingly conceal the identity of a gang leader or gang member or the occurrence of a gang related activity.

Someone convicted of recruiting a gang member would face up to 20 years in prison. If the person recruited is a child, that sentence would increase to up to 25 years.

The bill would also make it an offense to profess to be a part of a gang in order to gain a benefit, even if this declaration is false. A conviction under this offense would carry a prison term of up to seven years.

Aiding, abetting, or promoting gang-related activity, or being an accessory after the fact would be subject to a prison sentence of no more than 20 years.

Being in possession of a bullet proof vest, firearm, or prohibited weapon for gang-related activity would bring a fine of $100,000 and a prison term of no more than 25 years.

A police officer would be able to arrest someone without a warrant if he or she has reasonable cause to suspect the person is a gang leader, gang member, is involved in gang-related activity, or has committed an offense included in the bill.

The bill would allow the court to order a person convicted of a related offense to forfeit property which was intended for gang-related activity.

A gang is defined as three or more people, whether formally or informally organized, “who act alone or in concert with each other with the aim of participating in gang-related activity, and includes a group declared a gang by the Supreme Court”.

What I find amusing is that by this very vague definition; every member of any political organization and even some churches, can be argued to be members of a gang and carrying out gang activity – and don’t forget dem “evil” masons.

I know I am going to get calls on that.

So, the country asked the New Day government to do “something” to mitigate the crime problem and we get a very vaguely written bill by two or maybe even three King’s Councils; I just know that when King Charles comes to town later this year he will be taking these honors back; embarrassing him in such a manner.

I agree that something must be done to mitigate the crime problems in the country but is this new crime initiative moving us toward that goal?

Like the adage says; “Prevention is better than cure”; which would be to say that would it not be more advantageous to put more money into education on crime prevention at the primary school level and throughout the school program, then dealing with crime after it has become a problem?

To my knowledge some programs that actually this already exists, so wouldn’t it or shouldn’t it be more productive to put more money into these programs?

At this time I am only attempting to offer what I feel is a more feasible solution to the vexing problem of crime and attempt to prevent this slope down which we quickly slip.

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