The Ministry of Public Security has extended the gun amnesty programme for two weeks, with the announcement coming just hours after Minister Khemraj Ramjattan lauded it as a “big success.”
“The Ministry of Public Security wishes to advise the general public that the period of amnesty for firearms has been extend to 14th October 2015,” a release from the ministry said while noting that all of the police station earlier identified would remain the places where the firearms could be handed in.
The period of acceptance is between 09:00 hrs and 16:00 hrs daily, the release said.
“To get 1,500 pieces of ammunition and approximately 100 guns… off the streets must be regarded as a big success,” Ramjattan said. “Had we not had this thing it would have been zero and zero. It is now 1,500 plus and 100”, he told reporters at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre where he had gone to attend the opening ceremony of Guyana Public Service Union’s 21st Biennial Delegates’ Conference.
Government had taken a decision to allow persons with illegal weapons and ammunition to turn them in without being penalized. When the amnesty was launched on September 1, it was limited to one month initially, following which a decision was to be taken as to whether it should be continued based on how successful it was.
Ramjattan informed that more than 50 per cent of what was currently in the police’s possession had been handed in, in the last couple of days. “I think there is a public out
there that understands the implications of bringing it in and that is what is what is sending me towards extending,” he said.
Based on the figures that had been released by Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum as at September 22, 34 weapons had been turned in. Returns had begun slowly, but picked up later on.
Based on what Blanhum had said more than half of the weapons were handed in at locations in `F’ Division (interior areas) followed by `A’ Division (Georgetown and East Bank Demerara).
Up to September 22, police has 23 shotguns, six pistols, six rifles and one revolver along with 1,502 rounds of ammunition of various calibre.
Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud had said that all weapons and ammunition handed will undergo ballistics tests to ascertain any linkages to crime scenes. There have been no reports from police on any matches thus far.
