KINGSTON, Jamaica – Prime Minister Andrew Holness, has reiterated the Government’s stance that it will not enter into any negotiations with gangsters.

“This Government does not negotiate with gang members. We don’t buy this argument that there is one gang member trying to keep a community safer than another. If you are a gang member, you are a threat to the safety and security [of] the State, and there should be no importance accorded to anyone who is involved in a gang,” he emphasised.

The prime minister made the remarks during an interview with journalists following the official opening of concrete pavements in the community of McDonald Place, St Andrew West Central, on Thursday.

“Gangs do nothing but destroy this country and they are not operating in the favour of citizens. They are operating for their own selfish… motives and, therefore, they should be dealt with with the full force of the law. Gangs must be eliminated from our society, and I want to make that absolutely clear,” Holness emphasised.

He said the Government has put measures in place to deal with gangs, pointing out that there must be no favoured status awarded to persons joining them.

“You would see that this Administration is the first… to bring gangs to the criminal justice system through the courts and have them prosecuted and treated with as criminals,” the prime minister argued.

Holness said the Government will continue to invest in improving the intelligence capabilities of the security forces so that criminals can be brought to the courts.

“We don’t talk about the capacities that we have, but we are able to track them; we are able to interdict them and bring them to the courts and have strong evidence on which they are prosecuted, and we will continue to do that.

It is a long journey to interdict gangs, because you have to develop strong and robust evidence. So, yes, the country will get frustrated… the people in our society will feel some fatigue with crime. But I want to give them the hope that we are doing it the right way, which is investing in the capacity of the police. If you look at the JCF (Jamaica Constabulary Force) today and you compare it to the JCF of 10 years ago, it is quite a different JCF,” he said.

Holness indicated that other significant investments are also being made to improve and transform the JCF. These, he pointed out, include equipment and gear, police/citizen interactions, as well as leadership.

“We have a long-term plan, which is to build the capacity of the police force to address the level of crime whilst we use emergency measures to ensure that crime does not get out of hand. So I believe we do have the capacity now between the [Jamaica Defence Force] and the JCF to adequately police crimes and erode the capabilities of the gangs,” he said.

The concrete pavement solution initiative was undertaken in McDonald Place by the Caribbean Cement Company Limited at a cost of $8 million.

The engagement, which forms part of the firm’s corporate social responsibility programme, entails the installation of concrete pavements in communities to enhance the infrastructure and improve the quality of life for residents.

It also includes the removal of derelict structures and creation of gardens.

– JIS