Ballistic tests conducted on 90% of the 171 guns surrendered during the ongoing amnesty programme have so far found no link to any crime, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum said yesterday.
The disclosure was made during a community outreach hosted by the executive body of the police force at the Tagore Memorial Secondary School.
During a question and answer period, a resident asked how successful the programme was and if any of the weapons surrendered was linked to criminal activities in Guyana.
In response, Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud stated that it was never anticipated that criminals would surrender their weapons.
Instead, he said the programme was designed to remove guns from the hands of people who have no criminal intent but may use the weapons in a moment of anger and to ensure they do not get into the hands of persons with criminal intent. He pointed to criminal activities such as the recent murder of the Corentyne farmer who was allegedly shot dead by her husband.
Persaud said another kind of programme would have to be created to target criminals who are in possession of illegal guns.
Under the amnesty, weapons can be handed in without any criminal penalty or any questions.
According to Blanhum, most spent shells recovered from crime scenes are from 9mm-calibre guns and AK-47s, while the majority of the guns surrendered during the amnesty have been shotguns. To date, 146 shotguns, 12 pistols, seven rifles, five revolvers and one AK-47 have been surrendered.
A significant number of the shotguns were owned illegally by indigenous communities and 115 shotguns of 121 surrendered to the police by September 30th came from interior regions.
Blanhum said 1,800 live rounds of ammunition have also been surrendered. The amnesty program-me concludes today, after a two-extension was granted. It was initially scheduled to last throughout September.
Minister of Public Secu-rity Khemraj Ramjattan has hailed the initial period as a huge success. “To get 1,500 pieces of ammunition and approximately 100 guns… off the streets must be regarded as a big success,” he 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 end of last month.
Ramjattan has stated that upon the conclusion of the amnesty, there would be a crackdown on persons found in possession of illegal weapons.
At yesterday’s meeting, Persaud made a presentation on programmes being undertaken by the Guyana Police Force to reduce the crime rate across the country.
