The government revealed plans yesterday to roll out an ex-convict informant program that is expected to help solve and prevent crimes, and has already eyed a group of former inmates, who will contribute to the program.
Minister of National Security Dr. Bernard Nottage said the government will soon implement the crime fighting initiative, but did not provide a timeframe.
"There are men and some women, who have been involved in criminal activity in the past, who are now committed to assisting us in the ministry by gathering information on our behalf and helping us to identify situations," said Nottage, during a press conference to announce the ministry's public crime forum set for tomorrow.
"This is one of the initiatives that we are going to be introducing in the not too distant future where we use people, who are reformed criminals, to assist us in seeking to prevent young people from engaging in criminal activity.
"That is going to be a big challenge for us because we have to be careful about how we do it, but it is something that has been used in other jurisdictions and we believe with the right monitoring and proper selection this could be a winner for us."
Nottage said several other crime fighting initiatives, some of which are mentioned in the Progressive Liberal Party's (PLP) Charter for Governance, will be implemented.
He also spoke of several anti-crime projects that are near completion, including the first phase of the closed-circuit television (CCTV) program.
The program, which is expected to be fully operational by September, encompasses 243 surveillance cameras placed in criminal hot spots at a cost of $5 million.
The monitoring of those areas is expected to assist in deterring and detecting criminal activity.
Nottage said while the downward trend of serious crimes in the country is enabling growing public confidence in the government's crime fighting strategies, a component is still missing. He said although intelligence gathering, saturation patrols and Urban Renewal 2.0 are bearing results, "a small group of policymakers and technocrats do not have all of the answers".
The Bains Town and Grants Town MP said the fight against crime and policy development must be a national effort involving civil society. Nottage added that the government's emphasis should be more on crime prevention and less on detection, prosecution, conviction and incarceration.
"For that to happen we definitely need cooperation from members of the public," he said.
"We intend to foster improved relationships between the public and members of the police force, and the public and members of this ministry so that, that mutual understanding can assist us in reducing crime to a minimum."
Nottage said heads of all law enforcement agencies will attend the forum to gauge the concerns and suggestions from the public.
He said he hopes to incorporate "practical initiatives" into the government's crime fighting strategy immediately.
The forum will take place at 7:30 p.m. at St. Joseph's Community Centre on Boyd Road.
Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian
