More people to be charged for failing to report crimes, PM warns

By Lorraine Mendez    

 

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has promised that investigators will be seeking to lay more charges for the common law offence of misprision of felony to encourage people who know of crimes to make a report to the police.

 

Mr. Holness made the disclosure as he addressed staff and students at Chetwood Memorial Primary School in St. James.

 

He said steps will be taken to move misprision of felony from common law to an offence under specific legislation. 

 

"[The offence] doesn't mean that they participate in the crime; it doesn't mean that they aided and abetted or gave any support or were a part of any common design to commit the crime, but they have come into knowledge, they know. They are under duty under our existing law to come forward, and we intend to utilise this much more in our pursuit to bring this terrible beast of murders under control," the Prime Minister asserted.  

 

He reiterated that the government would be seeking to further amend the Firearms Act to increase the penalty for possesion of a prohibited weapon. Changes are also coming to the Offences Against the Person Act to increase the mandatory minimum sentence for capital murder.

 

Chetwood Memorial Primary School has been mourning the loss of two students, seven-year-old Justin Perry and nine-year-old Nahcoliva Smith, who were killed after gunmen opened fire on a taxi in which they were travelling on Monday. A man, said to be the target of the attack, was also killed.