ST. GEORGE’S – Grenada police Tuesday said that they had confiscated “more than 25 illegal firearms” during the first five months of this year.
“To date we have more than five million EC dollars (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) worth of drug seizures, greater interdiction and seizures of firearms and the total this year thus far is over 25,” Superintendent Esau Pierre, the officer in charge of crimes and operations told a news conference.
Pierre did not give a comparable figure for the gun seizures, but for the 12 months last year, police seized 30 guns.
The police said that several people have taken advantage of the gun amnesty announced by Prime Minister and Minister for National Security, Dickon Mitchell, in Parliament in March.
Pierre told reporters that the police are committed to utilising all its resources to combat the growing gun violence in Grenada, adding that as of May, the island recorded nine homicides with eight of them classified as murder.
The authorities said three of the nine homicides are directly related to gun violence. Police have arrested and charged three people in connection with the three murders.
For the five-year period 2019 to 2023, the police confiscated 68 illegal firearms while for the two years period, 2022 and 2023, 78 people were arrested and charged for firearm or firearm related offenses. (CMC)
