Former Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith dismissed Opposition concerns about State of Emergency regulations, calling them misleading and politically motivated fear-mongering.
Responding to Opposition claims about the declaration of the State of Emergency, Mr Griffith said the interpretation is “misleading and unnecessarily alarmist.”
“It is more about political fear-mongering than anything else,” he added.
Mr Griffith argued current laws are too weak to address dangerous public statements that could threaten national security or encourage criminal acts.
“It allows people to reach the borderline of saying things that can affect national security, affect public safety, and cause national instability by trying to influence people to commit criminal offences; yet it is not deemed as an act of terrorism in any way, nor treason,” he said.
Griffith said the proposed measures are targeted at hardened, repeat violent offenders and organised gangs—not ordinary, law-abiding citizens.
“The objective is not to control the population, but to prevent violent acts before innocent lives are lost,” he said.
The former Police Commissioner defended provisions that may restrict movement, association, or gatherings, stating such tools are commonly used worldwide to disrupt criminal networks and protect critical infrastructure.
“They are targeted tools used to disrupt criminal networks, particularly gang structures that rely heavily on coordination, communication, and the ability to congregate to organise criminal activities,” he said,
While supporting the measures, Griffith acknowledged that stronger policing leadership and strategies earlier might have reduced the need for extraordinary powers now.
