Cabinet nod for amendment to Crimes Ordinance

Saturday, 4 February 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

A Bill proposing to enhance the list of offences which warrant the recording of fingerprints under the Crimes Ordinance was approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday.

Currently, fingerprints can only be obtained for offences which are listed under the Crimes Ordinance. The new Bill presented by Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe seeks to amend the above ordinance, making provisions for obtaining fingerprints for new offences by including them in the relevant schedule.

The Bill also provides a legal framework to issue court orders to keep an accused person under the supervision of the Police when a suspended sentence is imposed until the expiry of this sentence. The Bill is to be published as a gazette and subsequently presented in Parliament for approval.