It is no longer business as usual in the police force and, for the public, ignorance of the law is no excuse. The Commissioner of Police has said this loud and clear. He has even launched an awareness campaign on a list of offences and the penalties they carry to warn that crime will not pay.

The CP's move seems to result from the fact that, out of ignorance, members of the public unknowingly commit unlawful acts without realising the legal consequences of their actions. Moreover, certain offenders commit offences without being aware of the serious consequences that ensue.

Quite high on the list of offences highlighted by the CP are rapes and sodomy.

Rapists are warned that their offence can entail penal servitude ranging between 5 to 20 years  under section 249(1) of the criminal code and, if the act is  committed by two or more, it will be prosecuted at the Supreme Court before a judge without jury, and sentences can fetch up to 45 years.

Sexual intercourse with a female under 16 carries a penal servitude for 10 years and attempt upon chastity reaps five years.

Sodomy or anal sex, under section 250 of the Criminal Code, carries a penal servitude for five years. And this is not all. Those who use information and communication services unlawfully, for example, a mobile phone to transmit indecent material or cause nuisance, will carry a fine of Rs 1,000,000 and imprisonment of up to five years, under 46(h) of the Information and Communication Technologies Act 2001.

On the other hand, many equally commit thefts or larceny that vary from simple to very serious. Anyone charged with larceny may face imprisonment of up to three to 15 years, depending on the gravity of the offence under the different sections of the criminal code. “ We are are set to clamp down heavily on offenders to maintain law and order in the country,” Line Barracks sources says.