The Nationalist Party (PN) has put forward a number of amendments to a bill aiming to increase punishment and fines in cases involving violent crimes committed against public officials. The party stressed its commitment for policies in the name of the respect of the country’s security forces and their sacrifices for the nation.
The amendments it will be putting forward to the Bills Committee seek to reinforce this with three important measures:
- That anyone found guilty of committing a violent crime against a public official should be prohibited from requesting the removal of their court sentence from online records for 10 years following their conviction.
- That the Court should be empowered to issue a mandatory community service order, in addition to any sentence imposed. This community service could involve assigning the offender to the public service entity where the victim was employed.
- That in the sole instance where probation is granted under Article 95 of the Criminal Code, this should be reflected on the individual’s criminal conduct certificate.
These measures, the PN said, strike a balance between punishment and reform, with an emphasis on accountability while offering rehabilitation. Shadow Minister for Home Affairs Darren Carabott said the PN has been calling for increased protection for public officials for years, referring to motions presented in 2011 and 2013 which were disregarded by the Labour Party until the recent series of attacks.
The PN reiterated its support for harsher penalties while calling on the government to embrace these other reforms as well.
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