Police will crackdown on illegal guns
It had all the earmarks of a hurry-come-up presentation that was not quite ready for prime time. But whatever the Police Department, Ministry of Home Affairs and Crime Control Council may have lacked in advance preparation, they made up in clarity of purpose. The message is that criminals holding illegal weapons are in for a rough time. Jacqueline Woods reports.
Alan Usher, C.E.O., Ministry of Home Affairs
“Fighting crime is everybody’s business and all persons have a duty to assist the law enforcement agencies in combating crime and violence in society.”
Jacqueline Woods
It’s on that premise the Ministry of Home Affairs, in collaboration with the Crimes Control Council, hopes that their latest initiative to fight crime will succeed. Starting today, persons in possession of illegal firearms and ammunition will have one month to turn in the weapons and no legal action will be taken against them.
Jacqueline Woods
“Realistically speaking, do you expect any of these people that you are targeting will take advantage of this amnesty period?”
Carmen Zetina, Police Commissioner
“I think so Jackie because they know the seriousness of the Police Department nowadays. I am very serious, I am telling you, very, very serious that we are not going to play with the criminal elements after this thirty days. I will not study about this balloon syndrome, that where you squeeze… I am going all out to make sure that that happens. So my message to the criminal elements is we are giving you thirty days so take advantage of it.”
Whether a person chooses to hand in the illegal gun, throw it in the sea or bury it in the ground, those who decide to keep their weapons and ammunition are advised that there will be stiffer penalties levied against them.
Carmen Zetina
“For example, mandatory imprisonment, bail will be more difficult to get and we have been asking and will continue to ask the judiciary to play an active role in this deterrent to crime.”
Following the amnesty period, a cash for information component will be put into effect. That programme encourages any member of the public to call the new hotline number 922 and give information about where the police can find the guns. If the authorities are successful, then the informant will receive money. How much cash is still not certain, but the police would like to assure the public that their identity will be protected. Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Alan Usher, explains how that will work.
Alan Usher
“These calls will be received, logged and given a number and passed on to the police for immediate action. The caller will be given a specially coded number and in the event of the illegal firearm or ammunition being retrieved as a result of that information, the caller will report to the payment centre and collect his or her reward. All calls will be treated in strict confidence and in no case will the identity of the caller will be disclosed to any person.”
The programme was launched at a press conference this morning and it has the support of both the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Belize Business Bureau. While the lack of details regarding the size of payments gave the impression that the initiative is a hurried one, a public that is totally exasperated with violent crime has no choice but to hope for success. Jacqueline Woods for News 5.
The Ombudsman’s Office on Regent Street has been designated as a collection centre in Belize City. In the districts the guns and ammunition should be handed in to the town councils. While no one we spoke to expected to see a large amount of guns turned in, those involved in the initiative emphasized that it is crucial that before the weapons crackdown is initiated, the gunslingers at least have an official chance to change their ways. When asked if offering money to informants might not itself provoke increased violence in the form of retribution against snitches, police officials responded that many tips are already coming in free of charge and the latest effort hopes to expand on what has proven to be an effective form of intelligence gathering.
