Padarath: Strenghten Criminal Injuries Compensation Act
Princes Town MP Barry Padarath issued a call to the government through a press release to strengthen the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act.
Padarath stated that the state must provide adequate support to victims of crime and that the current legislation needs to be strengthened so that the ceiling quantum’s can be increased.
The Princes Town MP lamented that in his own constituency a 14 year old boy had been struck by a stray bullet and his constituent was suffering from severe headaches and cranial pains.
Padarath insisted that the legislation was in dire need of being revised so that it can take into consideration the current economic climate as well as the socio economic impact crime has on victims who have been temporarily and permanently affected.
The Princes Town MP stated that there are several heinous crimes perpetrated against citizens that do not qualify for compensation. He cited the issue of rape and sexual offences being among them. Earlier this year Padarath had called for the establishment of a sex offender’s registry. He insisted that if the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act was strengthened, it would be able to address several loopholes that currently exist.
Padarath further added that with the escalating crime situation in the country the government had failed to demonstrate the political will to deal with crime. He stated that the time was ripe to give greater assistance from the state to victims of crime. The MP indicated that there must be a holistic approach to the crime situation and that the time for political rhetoric and the blame game was over. Padarath said after 6 months of being in office people wanted remedies to the crime problem.
The Princes Town MP stated that while we speak of prevention, detection and incarceration we must also speak of adequately compensating victims. Padarath called on the AG and the government to revise the existing legislation so that it could be strengthened to widen the scope for victims applying and also the quantum’s available to victims to access.