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Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness says CARICOM nations must take a strong stance on organised criminal gangs, noting that gang violence must be regarded as acts of terrorism.

Holness, who assumed chairmanship of the regional bloc on July 1, said gangs have evolved far beyond traditional street-level crime, posing a threat to the region's security, and must be given the same urgency and coordination that characterises global responses to terrorism.

"I am on record as saying that we need to launch a war on gangs of a similar magnitude and nature to the war on terror," Holness stated.

He was addressing Sunday's opening ceremony of the 49th Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in Rose Hall, St James.

Holness said that CARICOM countries must work together to cut off the access of criminal networks to resources, including the financial system.

He cited a July 2024 United Nations report that highlighted the problem of gangs in Jamaica, St Lucia, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago, noting that the report also linked the surging drug production in South America and widespread firearm availability to rising homicide rates.

Holness said the crisis in Haiti also serves as a reminder of the urgent need for action.

"It is the organisation of violence for profit. It is not merely street-level, dispossessed, socially excluded youngsters. There is a level of intelligence, a level of resources, a level of organisation that has been brought to crime and violence, which is being used for profit," he pointed out.

"So, my own view is that policy and jurisprudence need to evolve to address this matter," he added.