Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn has created a National Team that will address trafficking of firearms and ammunition.
A release from the Ministry on Tuesday said that the team comprises Permanent Secretary, Mae Toussaint Jr. Thomas; Research Officer, Jasmin Louisy; Police Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum; Foreign Service Officer II at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sosheena Parmanand; Inspector of Police at the Criminal Investigation Department, Richard Frank; Assistant Superintendent at the Immigration Department, Troy Benn; Officer Commanding Ordinance at the Guyana Defence Force, Captain Stephen Castor, Group Leader at the Customs Authority, Raymond Young; Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, Natasha Backer and Technical Officer at the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit, Ron Marks.
The release said that the National Team has unanimously decided that updating the Firearms Act and relevant norms and regulations is one of the top priorities. Others are developing and enhancing of training in surveillance at the port and border crossings, creating and/or enhancing domestic software/e-platforms to facilitate intelligence gathering, information exchange among national and regional law enforcement entities and crime mapping, and to create/update national weapons inventories.
Additionally, Benn and Research Officer, Louisy participated in the United Nations Seventh Biennial Meeting of States on the Programme of Action to prevent, combat and eradicate illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.
Guyana has committed to the Development for the Roadmap for Implementing the Caribbean Priority Actions on the Illicit Proliferation of Firearms and Ammunition across the Caribbean in a sustainable manner by 2030, the release said.
