Security Minister defends $25m fund for information on Clarendon mass shooting

   

National Security Minister Dr. Horace Chang has sought to put to rest concerns about the $25 million fund for information leading to the arrest and charge of those involved in the gun attack in Cherry Tree Lane, Clarendon.

 

Dr. Chang is seeking to assure that the funds will not result in a cut in expenditure to other areas of his ministry.

 

Senior crime investigator and security expert Robert Finzi-Smith has questioned the government's response and suggested that the money could be better spent on developing the community and acquiring resources for the JCF.

 

But defending the government's initiative, Dr. Chang said the potential value of the information to be garnered cannot be diminished. Furthermore, it will not cause a reduction of other crime-fighting activities. 

 

"We are committed to providing the resources to the police and to give them the support required to find and prosecute the criminals who are perpetrating this kind of horrendous crime and murders across the city. The $25 million is a small amount in that," he insisted, noting that the government will continue to purchase more resources for the police as well as cameras to aid in crime scene investigations. 

 

Dr. Chang said, to date, he has received no report that the reward has yielded promising results. 

 

"A lot of the information they collected, they collected almost immediately after the event. You know, the reward came out 48 hours later. And investigators will tell you, the information they collect in the first 48 hours is about the best you get."

 

But he admitted that as the investigation proceeds and other suspected perpetrators are held, more people with information will come forward. 

 

"Bear in mind, one of the things that happens in this situation is that the more of the network you apprehend and detain, the more willing informants are willing to talk to the police. They'll still have to protect their identity, but you find that when the informants realise that the police, who is the one in charge, so to speak, have taken in a number of individuals, they are willing to speak to the police," he reasoned.