COMMANDING officer for the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) Agricultural Protection Branch (APB) Senior Superintendent Oral Pascoe, says recent changes to Jamaica’s praedial larceny laws are beginning to pay off, with tougher penalties and more robust enforcement helping to disrupt the illegal trade in stolen agricultural produce.

Speaking on the JCF’s Force4Good podcast on Sunday, Pascoe said amendments to key pieces of legislation, coupled with more consistent policing since the APB was established last June, have strengthened the force’s ability to target agricultural thieves, recover stolen produce and secure convictions.

He argued that while many of the laws had existed for years, they were not being enforced consistently enough to have the desired impact.