Clarke urges cops to fight praedial larceny

Christopher Serju, Gleaner Writer

Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke has attributed Jamaica's failure to curtail the growing scourge of praedial larceny primarily to inadequate enforcement of the country's laws by police and judges.

Addressing a batch of 141 recent graduates of the police academy during a sensitisation seminar at Twickenham Park, St Catherine, on Tuesday, Clarke admitted: "Successive administrations have talked and talked about praedial larceny and its negative effects. We have all put systems in place to deal with this dreaded problem, but there is one significant factor that curtails the programme's effectiveness and that is enforcement. Both by the police and the judiciary."

He added: "The reality is that praedial larceny is unfortunately treated with very scant regard and, as a result, there is limited enforcement. When the two-foot puss robs a farmer or his crop, his livestock, or causes illicit fires to cane fields, it is not only hurting the farmer but is also a major loss in terms of energy and financial investment . Praedial larceny poses a serious threat to the livelihoods of farmers and serves as a disincentive for investment in agricultural activities."

Organised activity

Praedial larceny, the minister charged, has evolved from "petty theft" to a very organised activity with farmers racking up losses estimated at $5 billion each year, hence the need to take a new approach to tackling this old scourge.

"You can't 'let off' a man because him steal two han' a banana or him light a sugar cane field. If we are truly serious about denting this problem, no matter the hue and cry, then we must do what we must," he challenged the constables.

Noting that the time has come to crush this menace and send a strong signal to people who make a living from reaping what they do not sow, Clarke warned against civilians taking the law into their hands, even as he empathised with them.

"Often we see on our television the anguish and pain of our farmers who have suffered at the hands of thieves. We sometimes see as well the other extreme when the crooks are caught by residents and exact their own brand of justice. We do not condone jungle justice and so would rather the systems put in place to work," said Clarke.

"I charge you as graduates of the constabulary to be the trailblazers of this programme by enforcing breaches of the Agriculture Produce Act and acts related to the theft of agricultural produce. Yours is not a daunting task but it requires will and commitment."

He added: "We believe that with increased enforcement and stiffer penalties by the judiciary, this will signal a new dawn for our farmers and the country at large. Agriculture is our way to prosperity. If we can put a stop to this, we can grow our economy. We can provide jobs. We can increase earnings and we can feed ourselves."