31 ILLEGAL FIREARMS COLLECTED THROUGH PEACE INITIATIVE DESTROYED, NEVER TO RETURN TO THE STREETS

Basseterre, St. Kitts, September 29, 2020 (RSCNPF): The Commissioner of Police followed through on a commitment given last year to destroy all the firearms that had been collected as part of the Peace Initiative.

Members of the press were invited to attend and cover the activity which took place at Camp Springfield on Monday, September 28, 2020.

Giving brief remarks before the activity began, Commissioner of Police, Hilroy Brandy said, “…once we [did] our investigations, we promised that all the weapons would be destroyed…you are here to witness that all thirty firearms will be destroyed this afternoon, and to assure you that none of the firearms [are] back on our streets.”

Since February 2019, members of gangs in the Federation have been a part of a Peace Initiative which has had several significant outcomes. Demonstrative of their level of seriousness to the peace effort, members relieved themselves of their weapons last year. As a result, thirty (30) firearms and a number of ammunition were handed over to the Police. These weapons have been audited by the Forensic Unit and underwent ballistics. Additionally, a firearm that was taken into custody by the Police earlier this year as a part of the same initiative was also destroyed on Monday. 

When combined with the thirteen (13) illegal firearms taken into custody through various operations in 2019, a total of forty-three (43) firearms were removed from the streets of communities around the Federation last year. This was unprecedented.

“I want to assure the general public [that] since the effort of taking these thirty firearms from the street, we still continue to make sure our streets and our homes are safe from illegal firearms…we have taken seven firearms off the streets so far for this year. Notwithstanding we are in a pandemic, Police are still out searching and doing stop and search [exercises] in order to recover anyone with any illegal firearm,” the Commissioner assured.

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