Prime Minister Andrew Holness has outlined that the government is reviewing the policies of the Sex Offenders Registry to determine whether public access could help keep communities safer.

Holness made the announcement after visiting Georgia Anderson, the grieving mother of nine-year-old Kelsey Ferrigon, who was brutally murdered on Friday, May 9. Kelsey’s partially nude body was found stuffed upside down inside a barrel at Job Lane in St Catherine.

“It’s difficult for me to come here to see you on Mother’s Day to recount this. It is more than tragic, and it should never have happened. I have gotten a briefing from the security forces. I can tell you that they have taken it to heart as well, and they are going to do everything in their power. This can’t bring her back and probably won’t give you any comfort either, but justice must be done to whoever did this, and a clear message must be sent to these kinds of perpetrators who believe that they can commit these crimes and get away with this, or they won’t be found,” Holness said.

The prime minister alluded to the fact that no parent should ever have to bury their child, but expressed that actions will be taken to combat these heinous crimes against them. “I can only imagine how you feel right now and how these words that I’m saying will be a shadow of comfort because there is nothing that can be done to replace your daughter,” Holness said while speaking to Anderson.

Holness also expressed that it’s unfair to have sexual offenders in the community without citizens being aware to protect themselves. “To have [predators] unleashed on society without giving the people in the community fair warning, regardless of their right to privacy and their entitlement to due process, but you also, as a citizen, have your right to life to protect, and I think that [Sex Offenders Registry] needs to be re-looked at so that the balance changes from those who are seeking to protect the criminals versus protecting the victims,” he continued.

The prime minister is urging the public to speak up if they know something. “Let us come together as one community to protect our children and ensure that the perpetrator is held accountable,” he added.