KINGSTON, Jamaica – National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang says there has been a shift in the mode of operations of criminals who are now operating in organised alliances to hit high-value targets.

Describing the perpetrators as “criminal terrorists”, Chang said “these kinds of criminal activities tend to generate heightened national concern, such as the stealing of ATMs and the targeting of cash-in-transit and other cash-heavy locations.

He was speaking Tuesday as he made his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives under the theme: “Technology – Transforming the Force for Good, Securing a Nation”.

Chang noted that while inter-gang wars have been reduced, the impact of criminal terrorist alliances carrying out these types of activities have significantly impacted the national psyche.

He sought to assure that the police are on top of the situation.

“The police have built up intelligence, analysed their activities and are developing effective strategic deployments. We continue to expand and improve our intelligence capabilities to ensure they have all the tools required for strong effective policing, including legislative tools such as the zones of special operations (ZOSO) and states of public emergency (SOEs),” Chang said.

Regarding SOEs, he said the emergency measures save lives and reduce the activities of the criminal terrorists.

“This impact is well established. The SOE is one of our best tools to disrupt gangs and save lives,” Chang stated.

He pointed to a chart with the weekly murder trend since October 2022 which shows that the weeks following the declaration of SOEs “typically experience significant reduction in murders”.

“In fact, the weeks that recorded the lowest weekly murder counts, all fell within the two-week period of the SOE,” Chang, who is also the deputy prime minister, pointed out.

Declaring that “we need strong policing to deal with criminal violence,” Chang pointed to an analysis of police statistics that shows that the age group 25-44 is responsible for the majority of victims and perpetrators of criminal violence in the country.

For example, in 2022, 63 per cent of those who committed murders fell into the 25-44 age-group, and made up 52 per cent of all murder victims.

Said Chang: “These are seasoned criminals. They are not amenable to restorative justice and diversion programmes. These are criminals who need to be apprehended, charged, imprisoned and rehabilitated under controlled circumstances or separated from society until they can do no further harm. We must equip and train the police to deal effectively with these criminals”.