Commissioner of Police Major General Antony Anderson states that as gang-related murders continue to decrease, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) remains committed to sending a clear message to gang leaders through active disruption of their operations.
Speaking at the Proactive Investigations Unit (PIU) Conference on Tuesday, March 12, Commissioner Anderson expressed his belief that it is more impactful to secure long-term incarcerations for individuals involved in gang activities, rather than solely focusing on eliminating gang leaders.
“Another person will carry on the business and you realise that you haven’t disrupted the business, you’ve disrupted the person… But when you start to rip away at the business then the person doesn’t even matter especially when they’re in jail,” states Commissioner Anderson.
He highlights that the JCF was not only convicting one individual but apprehending and prosecuting groups of twenty or even fifty individuals involved in criminal activities.
“You have to attack what gives the organisation its strength, money and connections. When you hit all of that then you capture enough of them one time degrading their ability to do criminal actions,” states Commissioner Anderson.
The JCF has also been utilising technology, especially social media platforms, to access information that would aid in investigations.
“There are a lot of opportunities in the world and I’d say some of these things have impacted some of our gang investigations, especially from an evidential perspective,” states Commissioner Anderson.
As the JCF continues its strides in reducing organized violence, the Commissioner warns members not to be compromised by these gang members making offers.
“The first thing they do is try to get a police officer to look out for them, then they find officials to support what they’re doing to have defences and information out there… so that means that the person on the other side has to be very resistant to compromise,” states Commissioner Anderson.
He urges people to make the right decisions stating “Make sure that nobody can compromise you, you are your boss, not them. No criminal out there should be saying ” Ah my boy that.”
