Crime is priority in 2011 legislative agenda: AG Ramlogan

Attorney General Anand Ramlogan said Monday crime prevention is one of the priorities for the government in 2011.

He told reporters, “The priorities for this year’s legislative agenda would be taking the fight against crime by virtue of a biting legislative agenda that specifically focuses and targets crime and quickening the pace for the delivery of criminal justice in the country.”

He added, "That would be the main focus for this year's legislative agenda and when we say crime we mean crime in all its forms.

"For example, the first bill that we may come to Parliament with may be the Anti-Corruption Bill, because that is also a form of serious crime in this country and it is something the country and the Government takes a serious and dim view of," he said.

Ramlogan said the the Government will also be looking at the issue of prison reform "to ensure that the rehabilitative component in the prison experience is one that is a bit more meaningful and genuine." 

He added, "At the moment what you have really is a treadmill, that you go inside and come back out with strengthened and hardened criminal legs but you have gone nowhere in life," he said.

Ramlogan said there are plans to build new courts. 

"We have been in active consultation and discussion with the honourable Chief Justice to ensure that we build some new courts so that part of the quickening the delivery for the criminal justice system and also the civil justice system will include the issue of finding new courts and building to house new courts. 

"So that when we put more judges and new courts that itself will assist in attacking the backlog," he said.

Ramlogan also called on the Police Service and the National Security Ministry to implement the crime fighting initiatives identified by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar during the Budget debate.

One such initiative is the use of mobile phone technology to allow citizens to become an active part of fighting crime.

That initiative would include the establishment of a command centre that would send nationwide mobile phone text messages to alert the police and public on kidnappings and on suspects in crime. He said: "The use of technology in the fight against crime is a must."