No cash, little results, Gun Amnesty extended
Guns are all over the streets of Belize City and the rest of the country. It is the weapon of choice in many murders, robberies and violent crime. If the police could get guns off the streets there would be less violence. There was once the famed Cash for Guns program which yanked quite a few weapons off the streets. But this time around there was no cash and that is possibly the reason why there were less firearms turned in. Marion Ali reports.
Marion Ali, Reporting
The new law governing the illegal possession of guns no longer allows a Magistrate to grant bail to offenders. With this in mind, government, through the Crime Control Council, had implemented a Gun Amnesty Programme which initially ran for a month. At the end of the month last Friday, however, the programme was extended for another month.
While the collection of weapons in the first month was not as high as those of the Money for Guns Programme in the past, the number of guns at his Eastern Division detachment, according to Deputy O.C. at that station, Senior Superintendent Robert Mariano, is encouraging.
Sr. Supt., Robert Mariano, Deputy O.C., Eastern Division Police
“Over the past month the Eastern Division Police Station has collected five firearms. We have collected one sixteen gauge shotgun, one sawed-off shotgun, one thirty-eight revolver, one point four-four rifle and two point two-two rifles. That would make it six firearms rather. Also, we have collected fifty rounds of point six-two ammunition, ten rounds of nine mm, twelve point two-two rounds and five point four-four ammunition.”
Marion Ali
“And this is all through the voluntary gun amnesty programme.”
Sr. Supt., Robert Mariano
“Yes, voluntary. These are people who actually brought them and handed them over to the police.”
Marion Ali
“No kind of force, no kind of interrogation.”
Sr. Supt., Robert Mariano
“No kind of force. As a matter of fact, three of these six firearms were handed over to me and they were actually handed over by people who I have not even known before.”
And two of those firearms were actually donations made to the Police Department for their use in carrying out its work. One of the firearms handed in to police was a weapon whose license holder had passed away. In order for survivors of licensed gun bearers to legally keep the weapon, Mariano says there are procedures they must adhere to.
Supt. Robert Mariano
“It is not the firearm that is licensed; it is the person that gets licensed to carry the firearm. So if the license holder dies, then it is the duty of the family member to hand it over to the police. However, if a family member request to apply for the firearm to get a license for it, they can do so and the license can be granted to them by the commissioner of police. It is not a hundred percent guarantee but most of the time the commissioner will approve it for the family member so long as the person does not have a history of criminal record.”
Three of the weapons turned in so far were delivered to the Conscious Youth Development Programme, headed by Superintendent Edward Broaster.
Supt., Edward Broaster, Dir., C.Y.D.P.
“While we know that there are many weapons on the street, no one can say that there are hundreds of weapons on the street. But with that said, we know that there are weapons out there and we know that we must get them off the streets an di believe that we will be seeing some more success pretty soon in getting guns off the street. I’m confident of that.”
And Broaster’s faith in the programme was also partly because there are several other non-government organisations, such as the churches, involved in the programme.
Supt. Robert Mariano
“We have other organisations which are assisting like some of the churches because I was told also that a certain church, a firearm was handed over to that church. It was a three-fifty-seven magnum revolver and there are other churches which are getting involved in collecting firearms and handing over to the Police Department. I believe that for this next month people might use the opportunity in handing over other firearms.”
As a member of the Council of Churches, Canon Flowers says he feels they have been doing their part in targeting at-risk youths.
Canon LeRoy Flowers, Member, Crimes Control Council
“The young man who needs to have his eyes seen and who need to have his teeth clean and whose children need to be fed, they go to these programmes. The problem that we have is that the wider society wants to paint everybody with a brush because of the way I dress, the way I look, I’m supposed to be a hard core criminal. That is not the context. I find—I believe quite honestly that what is happening in society is there’s a break-down of law and order as a result of a number of factors.”
But even with the problems of society that pose temptations to our youths, the parties involved warn against the realities of illegal gun possession after the end of November.
Supt. Edward Broaster
“After this whatever consequences come to them they can’t cry foul or complain about the harsh punishment that is there to be enforced upon them when they get caught with illegal firearms. Those persons with multiple firearms would see it beneficial in their own interest to turn over those firearms.”
Cannon Leroy Flowers
“People who are caught with illegal firearms will face the full brunt of the law and that will not change and that can’t change otherwise there’d be anarchy. That law challenges us to say to our sons, our brothers, our sisters, our wives; whatever, listen you need to take in that gun or you need to get that because all of us will be held accountable. Now we may say it is a draconian law but it is a way to say to the wider community you need to become involved and engaged. We are one another’s keeper. Yes, that’s really what it is.”
Sr. Supt. Robert Mariano
“We must take into consideration the new laws in relation to firearms and ammunition because if a person is found guilty with a firearm which is unlicensed and ammunition they will now be imprisoned rather than fined. So if the police go to your house and a firearm is found, all those persons who are inside that house and who are inside the yard, which includes your mother, your father, your grandfather, your grandmother, you family member, then those people are deemed to be in possession until the contrary is proven in court. They will be taken into custody. They will be arrested, charged, taken to court and, as we are aware, the court will not be able to grant bail as well at court so they will be remanded into custody until the case is heard or until they apply for bail by the Supreme Court.”
Canon Flowers says the Crime Control Council will also work on implementing another programme to offer skills training to youths. Marion Ali for News Five.
