Labour and Social Security Minister Pearnel Charles on Friday pleaded for support for the six controversial anti-crime bills, saying that despite a change of Government, a new minister of national security and new heads for the Jamaica Constabulary Force and the Jamaica Defence Force, the crime rate has not been dented.

A spirited Charles was particularly agitating for members of a joint select committee of Parliament to support the controversial proposed 60-day detention period for persons charged with serious offences.

"We must take a chance to see whether this is going to work, (a) short 12 months and we will examine whether mistakes have been made," he said.

The Clarendon North Central MP indicated that a number of significant changes had taken place in Government, yet the crime problem had not been seriously impacted.

"We have tried everything else, Green Paper, new minister, new Government, new prime minister, new commissioner of police, new brigadier, new DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions), new solicitor general; we want new laws," he told his colleagues.

Charles called for cooperation among Jamaicans to go after criminals who were destroying women and children.

Making a final appeal to the committee, the government MP said: "It is safer to make a mistake and arrest an innocent man than to make a mistake and make an innocent woman be raped, murdered and go to the grave."

But committee member and Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate, A.J. Nicholson encouraged the group to consider a previous proposal made by K.D. Knight on the 60-day detention period.

Provision

He said there should be a provision in the bill to allow persons charged with a serious offence to be brought before the court within a "short period". Nicholson explained that a judge would then determine whether bail should be granted or if accused persons would have to wait until 60 days before bail was allowed.

"What you would be doing in those circumstances, you would be trying to ensure that those who should get bail would not stay there before the 60 days," he added.

Committee Chairperson Dorothy Lightbourne said the proposal should be given some consideration. She said if the police arrested persons without hard evidence, they would be entitled to bail.

The six anti-crime bills emanated from bipartisan talks between the ruling Jamaica Labour Party and the Opposition People's National Party.

The joint select committee concluded its deliberations on the bills on Friday. A report will be completed in the next two weeks and submitted to both Houses of Parliament.