National Security Minister the Honourable Peter Bunting has indicated that the Ministry of National Security is determined to take the profit out of crime in a bid to drastically reduce the nation's crime figures.

Giving highlights from a new National Security Policy which should be unveiled in March, at a post-cabinet press briefing earlier today, Minister Bunting noted that crime is profit driven and therefore the most effective attack against criminal organizations is to strike at the root - their money.

The National Security Ministry will therefore be seeking to amend the Proceeds of the Crime Act (POCA) to give the courts power to seize assets, not just from criminals, but also from the facilitators of their crimes. Minister Bunting stated that these facilitators might include lawyers, real estate brokers, bankers, accountants and corrupt public officials who enable criminals to operate with impunity.

Minister Bunting announced the formation of an elite multi-agency task force with responsibility for 1) identifying, investigating, and prosecuting large players involved in corruption, and 2) tracing the money and assets of large criminal operators with a view to forfeiture.

With reference to the recent spike in violent crimes, Minister Bunting spoke to a number of initiatives including intensified operations by the security forces, which have already commenced. These will be supported with a Communications Campaign titled "A gang is a dead end" which will commence within a week.

The Minister will be visiting the gang plagued communities together with the Commissioner of Police to observe the impact of the operations and to have dialogue with the law abiding citizens within these communities. These visits will start in St. Catherine North and continue in St. James later this week.