No sunset clause for new Anti-Gang Act, says AG

Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi says unlike its precursor, the new anti-gang act has no sunset clause and is, therefore, calling on members of the Law Association and the opposition to rally behind government as they attempt to pass this legislation.

Newsday spoke to Al-Rawi yesterday who said he has not received any response from the Law Association on the proposed law which was laid in Parliament on Friday.

“We have written to the association on umpteen occasions on this matter. It stood for public comment and analysis for many months. What I can say is that we will be debating this law on Wednesday and it would be a dereliction of national duty for anybody in the Parliament to prevent this law from becoming a reality,” he said.

Citing the then Opposition People’s National Movement’s (PNM) support of legislation of the former People’s Partnership government, he said the current Opposition had no excuse to provide the necessary support for the legislation’s passage.

“When we are looking to the position of videos of gang recruiting and the kind of reaction we saw in the Beetham and in Enterprise in Chaguanas, from the communities when the police go behind known gang leaders, you would be in a position of a serious dereliction of duty not to support this legislation.”

Al-Rawi added that police has compiled information on more than 2,500 suspected gang members, including names, aliases and addresses.