Heavier penalties proposed for cybercrime
FRUSTRATED pleas for an increase in the penalties under the 2010 Cybercrimes Act by law enforcement officials have resulted in proposed amendments which could see some offenders facing prison terms of up to 25 years.
The Joint Select Committee of Parliament — which in February began hearing submissions for amendments to the provision — will be submitting a raft of recommendations for amendments to the Act, including the increased penalties to Parliament in its report which is to be drafted.
Yesterday, guided by the penalties prescribed under the recently passed Law Reform (Fraudulent Transactions) (Special Provisions) Act 2013, commonly called the Lotto Scam Act, and the Precursor Chemicals Act, the committee contemplated the changes which had some individuals balking.
At the outset of the deliberations, Senior Superintendent of Police Clifford Chambers — who heads the Organised Crime Investigation Division (OCID) — encouraged the committee to exercise the will to make the changes.
“There is hardly any offence being committed now without the use of technology. I cannot accept that there are going to be sentences or fines in the present Act that we will not make adjustments to,” SSP Chambers appealed.
His statement came on the heels of an utterance by committe chair and minister of state in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Julian Robinson.
“I accept we need to send a stronger signal to those who may be minded, but I am not convinced that the imposition of harsher penalties would necessarily deter without the other elements in place. You have to convict them first and that might be a stronger deterrent than the fines and penalties,” Robinson said.
Chambers’ position, however, found sympathy with Government committee member Raymond Pryce.
“We need to be of a mind to send a message that we recognise that these crimes are on the horizon, (that) they are on our radar and that there are persons currently being recruited and trained to be skilled at perpetuating these crimes, and we are making it known to them that we will be as robust as legislation allows,” Pryce said, noting that making the penalties formidable was pertinent to the success of plea-bargaining arrangements.
Opposition committee member Senator Arthur Williams concurred.