Police destroy confiscated weapons
Everyday in Belize City, the echo of gunshots rings through the air; sometimes the bullets miss their targets, but most times they don’t. It is a situation we have been forced to accept as reality because the simple fact is that there are too many guns on our streets. Cognisant of the alarming situation, the Police Department is working overtime to find and destroy all unlicensed firearms. Over the weekend, members of the department brought the fruits of their labour to the Memorial Park…News 5 was there.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
The collection of shotguns, rifles, handguns, bow and arrows, and homemade weapons represents just a fraction of the number of firearms the Police and Customs Departments have seized during vehicle and home searches.
Superintendent Gerald Bernard, Police Dept.
“These are guns that have been confiscated, unclaimed and otherwise taken off the streets.”
“We really mount operations almost everyday. It’s a continuous thing, continuous fight against crime. We look at our intelligence, where the guns are coming in, where the crimes are being committed, the geography of the crime, the nature of the crimes and who are committing these crimes and responsible for them.”
On Saturday, seven hundred and fifty weapons were processed and destroyed during an operation that took place at the Memorial Park.
Jacqueline Woods
“Tell us about the type of firearms that are being destroyed.”
Gerald Bernard
“We have all different types. We have sixteen gauge, other types of shotguns, pump-action, rifles, twenty-twos, we have high-powered weapons and homemade weapons especially. Some made in prison, some made on the streets by the boys in the gangs and so on.”
It is suspected that a large number of weapons are being smuggled through border points, while other firearms are stolen from licensed gun owners. Later this week, an equal number of weapons, that have not yet been processed, will be destroyed by the Police Department. Jacqueline Woods reporting for News 5.
