Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith has called on the state to stop placing state funds in the hands of gang leaders.
The Top Cop said the practice had been the major catalyst for the spike in murders in the country over the past 15 years.
"It is very difficult for the Police Service to try to provide safety and security to a country when the state continues to facilitate major contracts for gang members. This is not the first and I hope it could come to an end one day," said Griffith, "For the last 15 years, homicides went in this country from 150 odd to over 500 after 15 years because of different administrations coming and going, continuing to give multimillion contracts to gang members by calling them, community leaders and by probably assisting to win an election."
The Commissioner said he had regularly criticised the practice through his various stints in National Security.
"From 2002 to 2010 I spoke about it. When I was national security advisor I spoke about it. When I was Minister of National Security I fought it down. We've seen Lifesport, Colour Me Orange, URP, CEPEP it has continued. We cannot be a banana republic to continue to feel that we have to give these gang leaders contracts. I intend to continue to fight it down" said the commissioner.
He said despite the intentions of politicians, this has regularly failed to curb criminal activity but rather escalate it.
"When you do this, you give them extra funds they take the profit not to help their community. But they use the profit to hire more gang members, purchase more illegal weapons, bring in more illegal drugs. Use the profit of those state contracts as capital to try to invest and when they do they put hits on other gang members to get their state contracts. That has continued to be the catalyst for crime," said the commissioner.
"I have no intention to fight against the state if the state wants to give billions of dollars to criminals elements. They are not breaking the law but it is a case of ethics and this has gone on for far too long. No politician can point the finger at each other because this has gone on for the past 15 years. Politicians need to grow up and be mature and understand that you are not helping the country by giving state contracts. You are facilitating gang members to put hits and kill young men," he said.