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| Tuesday, 1 March 2005 |
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The public face of organized crime Both Deputy Minister of Defence and IGP recently vowed to proceed with the current anti-crime campaign regardless of whatever obstacles are placed in their way. All peace loving citizens will commend for their determination. Organized crime poses a serious threat to public safety in every aspect of our society. From drug deals on our streets, to gunning down opponents, to attempts to recruit youth into street gangs, no community is immune from the effects of organized crime. The Government, in recent months, have been trying to find solutions to this pervasive problem. Their commitment to working together - and to taking action, with the law enforcement community, against organized crime in all of its manifestations is strong. Awareness of the presence of organized crime across the Sri Lankan society, increased throughout the late 1990s. This awareness grew out of public concern about well-publicized, violent conflicts between criminal groups. Some of the most visible types of conflict occurred between rival gangs, resulting in the murders of gang members and in some cases, the deaths of innocent third parties. Not surprisingly, the changing nature of organized crime and increasing media coverage of organized criminal activity have made an impact on the public. Great concern was also expressed regarding threats to and attempts to intimidate government officials, particularly police officers. Illicit drugs Analysts believe that the illicit drug trade lies at the heart of our organized crime problem. The lucrative profits from drug trafficking translate into increased power for organized crime - and high costs that all of us bear. Each year, illicit drugs cost billions in increased health care costs, additional policing requirements, correctional and rehabilitation costs, and costs associated with property crimes. And the illicit drug trade's impact is not purely economic. Other by-products of the drug trade for example, the violence associated with activities such as producing, trafficking in and distributing illicit drugs can have a deadly impact on innocent people. Illicit drugs also have far-reaching social and health implications for families and young people in the communities. Other than the illicit drug trade, we also find gang wars, economic crimes, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, money laundering and public sector corruption. Legislative tools If we are to combat successfully the organised crime, first of all, we must strengthen our Legislative and Regulatory Tools. In this aspect, we can learn a lot from the Canadian experience. Their national agenda to combat organized crime identified the need to develop legislative, research and public education tools that will help them to address all the national priorities. Among the measures, the legislation provided to the police special rules regarding wiretap authorizations for investigations relating to criminal organization. More criminal organization offences were added to the list of offences covered by the proceeds of crime provisions. Power was created to Police to order a person to enter into a recognizance to keep the peace and be of good behaviour where there is fear, on reasonable grounds, that the person will commit a criminal organization offence. The Law also improved the protection from intimidation for people who play a role in the justice system, and their families. This type of intimidation is of particular concern during the investigation, prosecution and imprisonment of persons involved in criminal organizations. The Law broadened enforcement powers to forfeit the proceeds of crime and to seize property that was used in a crime. This aspect of the legislation enhanced the law enforcement community's ability to target the financial incentive that lies at the heart of many criminal acts. The Law established a limited justification to protect law enforcement officers from liability for offences when they act reasonably and proportionally while engaged in investigations and enforcement under federal law, including investigations and enforcement against criminal organizations. The offences were accompanied by a tough sentencing regime, including provisions for consecutive sentencing and restricted parole eligibility. Since this legislation came into force in early 2002 in Canada, implementation of the legislative amendments has been ongoing. Training has been provided on the new measures in this legislation. This training activity has included a national training session for federal and provincial prosecutors in June 2002, ongoing training for law enforcement officers, and the production and distribution of a legislation training video. Public information We should also recognise that comprehensive and accurate information is essential to combat organised crime. Which means that quality information on the nature and extent of the criminal environment is critically important for government to gain a fuller understanding of the threat and to help prioritise the issues that need to be addressed. Keeping the public informed about the extent of organized crime in our country, and about the impact it has on the society, is an integral part of the fight against organized crime. Public education makes people aware of the threat that organized crime poses. It also lets them know that communities need to work with government and police to combat organized crime. The Government could use the new, Internet-based technology and other electronic media to educate the public about organized crime through a number of initiatives. Government's own website can provide the public with links to information and services on public safety and security. It should be an easy-to-navigate on-line source of information on topics including all prevailing criminal activities. As well, to provide the public with readily-accessible information on organized crime, fact sheets on several of the national organized crime priorities - outlaw gangs, illegal drugs, money laundering, fraud, trafficking in human beings, and economic crime must be made public at regular intervals. |
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