WILDERNESS, Manchester — Member of Parliament for Manchester North Western Mikael Phillips is calling for the strengthening of the praedial larceny law as farmers in his constituency continue to suffer at the hands of thieves.

“When we have praedial larceny in communities like Wilderness up in Maidstone, Shirehampton, Huntley, it hit us hard, and I think we have been talking too long in how it is that we deal with praedial larceny,” said Phillips as he warned that farmers’ livelihoods are being threatened by “two-footed thieves”.

“I shouldn’t say it, but I would like to see two of dem thief deh get caught and justice brought to them — but the justice that we talk about is [not] carrying them to the courts and then them get let go,” an apparently annoyed Phillips said while addressing a road-opening ceremony in Wilderness district, west of Mile Gully, on Thursday.

When asked if his comments were in support of jungle justice, Phillips said that the existing Praedial Larceny Act needs strengthening.

“I could never support jungle justice, but I think that our farmers and just Jamaicans overall have reached to a tipping point when it comes to the crime that is taking place — be it the murders, be it praedial larceny — and in this instance I was referring to praedial larceny that is taking place in North West Manchester and the parish itself,” Phillips told journalists.

“I think we have to re-look at the law that when persons are held, that there is swift action not only by the police but by the court system. We have to look at how it is that persons, when held, are dealt with by the State,” added Phillips.

“More people should be going into agriculture, not leaving agriculture because of the loss of crops [and animals] that a honest man has taken his resource to put in the ground and a two-legged thief just comes and takes it out just like that,” he said.

“If it is that some persons will lose their lives, then at this point in time so be it. But, I am not asking my residents or any Jamaicans really to take it on their hands where jungle justice is concerned, but we are at a tipping point right now,” he added.

He said in the last week 20 head of goats were stolen from a group of farmers in his constituency.

“Now, what are you going to say to those farmers? Because when you go to [Rural Agricultural Development Authority] there is not enough resources to help them to put them back on their feet. As an MP we don’t have that amount of resources , but then now those set of farmers will end up at Ministry of Labour in the welfare line. We have to do better,” said Phillips.

Minister of Agriculture Pearnel Charles Jr, in responding to the concern voiced by Phillips, hinted that the Ministry of Agriculture is exploring agri-tech solutions to combat praedial larceny.

“I want to assure you farmers who are victims of those criminals who only prey on you in the night that we are working hard to put together a programme that is going to not just catch the two-foot puss, but we are going to be working on a programme that will help us to organise farmers to introduce the technology and the systems for us to be able to protect your farms and protect you and, more importantly, to find who is buying from the thief — because if you can find the buyers then they won’t have a market to come thief your goods,” said Charles Jr.