Police display recent seizures of guns, ammo
The Belize Police Department, apparently on a roll following some high profile arrests, continued their P.R. campaign today, this time highlighting the seizure of weapons and the community’s help in their discovery.
Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting
It may be only a drop in the bucket compared to how many guns are actually on the streets, but the weapons on display highlight the success made over the past three weeks of operations conducted at unspecified locations throughout Belize City.
Sr. Supt. Allan Whylie, Deputy O.C. Eastern Division
“We must thank members of the public who have been cooperating with us and providing information in terms of weapons and other illegal activities. The majority of the weapons that are here were from property, based on information and intelligence received.”
The collection includes two rifles, an AK47 and an AR15, two homemade shotguns, a nine-millimetre pistol, a sixteen gauge single action shotgun, and a 380 revolver. Senior Superintendent of Police and Deputy Officer Commanding Eastern Division, Allan Whylie, would not go into the specifics of the discovery, only crediting the accomplishment to hard work and good community participation.
Sr. Supt. Allan Whylie
“I don’t believe that it would assist in terms of identifying locations where these weapons were found and drugs were found. We all know where we live. We all know there are drugs within Belize, that is an acceptance. So I don’t think anything useful will be gained by saying we found it here, we found it there. These things can be moved about at anytime.”
“At this point in time, I wouldn’t want to comment in terms of identifying weapons with different people. Suffice to say that whenever we recover weapons, we do run checks within our various registries and we try to see if they were used in any other crimes.”
Included in the exhibit are three bags of marijuana weighing a combined total of thirty-seven pounds and point 223 ammunition that fits the AR15. Police say they have become especially concerned over the discoveries of the two homemade guns that were made from galvanized pipes and bicycle frames. The weapons were found on students at a primary and school and high schools.
Sr. Supt. Allan Whylie
“Knowledge is out there. People have access to the internet, T.V, other shows, conversations with people, people will explore. So in terms of the knowledge it is out there. It’s ingenious that Belizeans are now utilising that and making those sorts of things and it is a concern for us. … We are asking parents to be on the lookout for their kids who are playing about with those sorts of things, because it can be used for those purpose.”
Students found with such home devices can be charged with serious crimes. The police will increase their educational campaign in schools through the Community Policing Unit.
The police say both students busted for the guns are now going through the First Offenders Programme.
