By the Caribbean Journal staff

There are almost 200 criminal gangs in Jamaica, and the government is now tabling a bill in Parliament aimed at dismantling them, National Security Dwight Nelson said yesterday.

“There has been a lot of concern expressed about this piece of legislation, but we have been careful enough to ensure that within the legal context, wide discussions on the provision of the legislation [took place],” he said. “This piece of legislation will ensure that the law enforcement officers can maintain law and order in inner-city communities, and also avoid having to deal with the conflicts between the many criminal gangs that operate in most of our capital cities across Jamaica.”

The purpose of the law, Nelson said, is to target criminal gangs, their leaders and members who associate and conspire to engage in serious offences.