Head of Operation Kingfish, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Glenmore Hinds, wants new legislation to be implemented, which will make it an offence to be a member of a gang.

Meanwhile, social worker Francis Madden wants the country to use dialogue and mediation to arrest the problem.

These were some of the raft of recommendations made, by both Hinds and Madden, as ways of addressing the problems of gang violence in Jamaica at the United States Agency of International Development roundtable on 'Guns, Gangs and Governance', which ended yesterday.

"We must embark on gang suppression activities but we must now begin to shift the focus from law enforcement to other forms," said ACP Hinds. "Certainly, Jamaica has never demonstrated significant will, until quite recently, to deal with gangs."

Similar challenges

ACP Hinds said many countries faced with similar challenges have put in place legislative framework to deal with the problem.

"We have reached the stage where we need to moved to where mere membership in a gang is a criminal offence. (It is) radical but necessary," he said.

ACP Hinds also argued that the law officers needed legislation which will allow them to infiltrate gangs legitimately.

"We need to lay the stage where police can legally infiltrate gangs and go up and testify that 'yes, I was undercover and I infiltrated this gang'," he said. "We all say in America police infiltrate gangs, and in England, but they have legislation that provide for such activity but in Jamaica we are not able to. You will be told that you provoked the offence."

Meanwhile, ACP Hinds recommended that the Government resume hanging and accelerate reform of the justice system so that trials can be swift and victims can feel gratified that some justice has been done.

Gun control laws

He also suggested the introduction of stricter gun control laws to govern all aspects of gun related crimes.

Ms. Madden, who is also general manager of the Grace and Staff Development Foundation at GraceKennedy, said there should be a consensus building process involving a series of discussions. These discussions, she said, would allow stakeholders to vent their feelings and anger in order to clarify and agree on the findings and a plan of action.

She recommended that a forum of dialogue be established that would facilitate the unification of rival communities, which would allow stakeholders to debrief, vent and take responsibility for their actions in order to resolve interpersonal conflict that could otherwise evolve into gang violence.