An amnesty programme geared at getting illegal guns off the street will soon be unveiled, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan says.
According to Ramjattan, the amnesty is one of the promises made by the APNU+AFC alliance which is to be done in their first 100 days in office. The ‘APNU+AFC Action Programme for the First 100 Days’ makes no mention of a gun amnesty.
The coalition’s manifesto says that “APNU+AFC will develop innovative strategies to enhance and support current police efforts to better serve the security needs of Guyana. APNU+AFC, with the help of friendly foreign agencies like the FBI, Scotland Yard and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, will provide leadership and support to the Joint Services to further develop the nation’s capacity to prevent and control crime. APNU+AFC will provide resources to reduce the opportunity for criminals to corrupt the Joint Services.”
While there is no mention of a gun amnesty in the final version of the manifesto, in a leaked version which was described as “incomplete” at the time, the coalition had said they would “implement an amnesty programme for the surrender of illegal weapons, which will be backed by a “Voluntary Weapons Collection” programme. The Amnesty programme will be accompanied by a special fund to provide alternative opportunities for training, development of income generating projects, credit, etc., for youth at risk, and sports, scouting, and other cadet-like schemes for youth in schools and religious organisations.”
This was not included in the final version of the coalition’s manifesto. President David Granger previously had said that a gun amnesty programme would not work in Guyana.
Today, Ramjattan told Stabroek News that the details of the amnesty have not been worked out yet. “It has not been worked out on how it will be operationalized,” he said while pointing out that they want to reduce the guns in the society. He said that the plan will have to be fine-tuned but he envisions that the amnesty will be implemented in accordance with international best practice.
“We are not going to charge them if they bring in these firearms,” Ramjattan explained while adding that no questions will be asked. However, he said, once the amnesty period which according to him, could be as long as two years, is over, those found with illegal guns will face the full brunt of the law.
The Public Security Minister also noted that some incentives may have to be given, given the Guyanese culture but said that all these things still have to be worked out. “That could also help bring these guns in,” he said. Within 100 days of the administration, he said they will start to implement the programme.
The minister stated that he will be speaking to Commissioner of Police Seelall Persaud on the matter this week and will also be seeking the advice of experts and criminologists so as to get the programme operational. He also emphasised that there must be a big public awareness programme to coincide with the amnesty programme.
In 2007, in an interview with Stabroek News, Granger had said he was not in favour of a gun amnesty. Asked whether he would support a gun amnesty programme, Granger had said it would not work in Guyana, arguing that there had to be two approaches to tackling gun smuggling and these were: strong intelligence – identifying the source of the weapons, who were the traffickers (gun-runners), the various networks, and how the weapons were being trafficked and distributed.
The second was enforcement, which included patrols. Tougher laws on gun crimes, he observed, would not suffice. “People are not afraid of laws, they are afraid of the enforcement of [them]. If you have a large cadre of officers who are well trained, efficient and doing their work that is what will beat back the criminals, not whether an offence is bailable or non-bailable,” the retired brigadier had stated.
In 2009, then PPP General Secretary Donald Ramotar had told Stabroek News that there needs to be a combination of approaches to address the problem of proliferation of guns in society and although he did not rule out amnesty as one of the solutions, he was doubtful of its effectiveness in reaching “hardened criminals” who are armed with firearms. “It won’t get us the totally desired result,” he had said, adding that it might attract persons who have come by arms by various means.
At the same time, then AFC leader Raphael Trotman had agreed that there was “no silver bullet” to deal with the situation, which demands an innovative response from the government. In addition to more concentrated efforts at the country’s borders with Brazil, Suriname and Venezuela as well as harsh penalties for those found with unlicensed weapons, he said the country needs to consider best practices in other countries, since the illegal gun problem is not unique to Guyana.
Among the initiatives used in other countries have been buy-back schemes, amnesties and trades that seek to give incentives for the surrender of illegal weapons without criminal penalty. (Gaulbert Sutherland)
