THE stakeholders to the National Consensus on Crime (CMOC) have condemned the attack by gunmen in Cherry Tree Lane, Clarendon, on Sunday that left eight Jamaicans dead and another nine injured and has used this to urge the Government and Opposition to take a unified approach to fighting crime.

According to CMOC, the Cherry Tree Lane attack was “nothing more and nothing less than an act of unmitigated terrorism”.

CMOC said its stakeholders have noted the authority’s pronouncement that the nation’s gang culture was responsible for the tragic events and indicated that all Jamaicans must rededicate themselves to ensuring that courageous, coordinated and concrete efforts are taken to dismantle these gangs, seize their criminal assets, and prevent them from reconstituting their ranks via recruitment.

It pointed out that intelligence-driven action by the nation’s security forces over the past one and a half years have succeeded not only in reducing the numbers of gangs operating in the country by almost 50 per cent (from over 380 to approximately 185) but has also resulted in murders being reduced by some 16.

“We must now move forward with dispatch to consolidate such gains, and we urge all Jamaicans to play their part in helping the police to bring all criminal elements to justice. We should share all we know about criminal gangs and their leaders, as we strive to eliminate these heinous acts of domestic terrorism. This is an obligation and should be our commitment to bringing lasting peace to our communities,” said CMOC.

The stakeholders also pointed to Prime Minister Andrew Holness’s most recent comments on the imminent introduction of a proposed Enhanced Security Measures Act (ESMA) for consideration by Parliament.

They said they were encouraged by this declaration and are looking forward to the draft of the legislation being tabled, as they have already indicated support for certain principles and approaches that may be considered in this new legislation.

The CMOC stakeholders indicated that in July of this year they reached out to both the Government and the Opposition to revisit, modify and sign onto the Consensus 2024 recommendations so as to continue the bi-partisan determination to sustainably rid the country of the scourge of crime and violence.

“All stakeholders are now looking forward to concluding those consultations in the shortest possible time,” said CMOC, which is an independent body bringing together non-partisan stakeholders from the private sector, civil society, academia, and the political directorate.

It provides an independent overview of the efficacy and efficiency of the programmes agreed through the process of national consensus and keeps the public engaged on the progress of reducing crime, violence and corruption in Jamaica.