A gun amnesty has not worked for Barbados, and the top brass of the Royal Barbados Police Force are appealing to the public to continue to supply them with information so they can get illegal firearms off the streets.
This call follows a five per cent increase in the number of firearm seizures and gun-related crimes this year over 2016. The most prevalent of the firearms recovered were .9mm, .40 mm and .45 mm calibre pistols.
Speaking at a press conference at police headquarters yesterday morning, Assistant Commissioner of Police Colvin Bishop, who is in charge of crime, said there were 7 882 cases of crime recorded so far this year, as compared with the 7 492 for the same period last year.
“Of this number, 318 crimes were committed with the use of firearms, as compared with 202 for the same period in 2016. Some of these firearms were used in the commission of offences such as murders, aggravated burglary, endangering life, robbery and assault with intent to rob,” Bishop said.
He said the four-pronged strategy to combat the use and possession of illegal firearms – interdiction, enforcement, prosecution and education – had reaped some success.
“Our efforts to prosecute persons for related offences has resulted, thus far, in 153 firearms-related offences being placed before the law courts, compared with 133 for the year 2016. These offences include possession of ammunition and possession of firearms, the use of firearms and the importation of firearms. Our enforcement efforts have resulted in the removal of several firearms from the hands of criminals. To date, combined law enforcement efforts have resulted in the seizure of 91 firearms as compared with 71 for the same period last year,” the senior lawman disclosed.
The force had also been able to recover 2 721 rounds of ammunition as compared with 1 337 for the same period last year, which accounted for an increase of 1 384 bullets.
Bishop said they had not yet been able to pinpoint where the firearms were originating from.
“I’m sure that we do not manufacture firearms in Barbados, we’re sure that they are not being manufactured in Barbados either, but to point to a specific country that these firearms are coming from, I’m not in a position to say at this stage.”
Responding to a query of using a gun amnesty to get the firearms off the streets, which had proven to be effective in other territories, both Bishop and Assistant Commissioner of Police William Yearwood said it had been tried but failed in Barbados.
“The amount that we recover . . . we do not get the type of firearms that we actually require,” Bishop said.
Yearwood added: “To my mind, it goes in favour of the person who has the illegal firearm. We’ve seen previously where a person was arrested for having an illegal firearm and he was able to influence the courts that he was on his way to turn in his firearm. So that has not been going in our favour.” (YB)
