Key crime-fighting legislation prioritised

The Ministry of National Security and Peace has prioritised several key pieces of legislation for fiscal year 2026/2027.

Portfolio Minister, Dr Horace Chang, said that the measures include completing amendments to the Aliens Act, the Immigration Restriction (Commonwealth Citizens) Act, and the Firearms (Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation) Act.

He also mentioned the tabling of the National Policy Against Trafficking in Persons, and the Crime Prevention through Social Transformation Policy as Green Papers, and the National Visa Policy as a White Paper.

“We'll use the new Corrections Policy developed by the Ministry to guide amendments to the Corrections Act, which will be tabled again in this first quarter,” he informed.

“These legislative priorities are designed to reinforce the strong institutional and operational framework we have built, ensuring that the gains we have made are secured in law and sustained over the long-term,” he stated.

The Minister was opening the 2026/27 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

He said that the passage of the Firearms Act was “a decisive shift in our response to illegal firearms”.

“This legislation is the first in the world. This legislation was carefully examined and advanced through the Joint Select Committee. Though penalties were introduced due to mandatory sentencing. I've had a few minor things to amend, and I should have that [done] in this financial year,” he pledged.

Chang noted that the Firearms Act has been complemented with stronger anti-gang measures and greater focus on intelligence-driven operations, ensuring that enforcement is not only robust but strategic and targeted.

“This has been further strengthened by allowing MOCA (Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency) an increased range of activities that they can investigate, and we have seen… their work in the recent corruption activity at the bank. [It] is a signature of the kind of work that MOCA can do to ensure their integrity,” he pointed out.

He said that legislative strengthening has been reinforced by decisive operational tools, through short-term targeted interventions such as the State of Public Emergency (SOE), which has been successful in disrupting organised criminal activity and restoring order in communities experiencing high violence.

Chang noted that each time there has been an SOE, there has been a dramatic fall in crime.

“The evidence is clear; they have worked and worked well,” he declared.

At the same time, the Zones of Special Operations were introduced to deal with a medium-term attack on criminal activity but also to restore hope and public order in some very vulnerable communities.

- JIS News

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