Rohee questions source of ‘relic’ guns turned in through amnesty programme

Sep 22, 2015 News

– “bandits don’t use those things these days”

By Abena Rockcliffe
“Where are all these guns coming from?” That question was asked yesterday by former Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, at the People’s Progressive Party’s (PPP) weekly press conference at Freedom House.
Rohee, the PPP General Secretary, was apprehensive about admitting the success of the ongoing month-long gun amnesty programme.
In fact, he suggested that the majority of guns and ammunitions surrendered thus far are not those of “bandits.” With such speculations, Rohee is essentially insinuating that the illegal weapons turned in may have other links.
The fact, according to Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud, that ballistics tests already done on some of the weapons prove no evidence of links to previous crimes, may lend some kind of credence to Rohee’s statements.
However, Rohee’s comments prior to the commencement of the programme may cause him to now seem biased.
One day before the programme began Rohee predicted that it would not work in Guyana. He said that this was based on a previous study.
“While I was at the then Ministry of Home Affairs, a Task Force on Narcotics and Illegal Firearms was established. Members of the Task Force were drawn from the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Defence Force, Guyana Revenue Authority and CANU among others in the Disciplined Services.
“The Task Force had lengthy discussions on the efficacy of a gun amnesty. The overwhelming majority of members, save one, including the representative of the Guyana Police Force, were of the view that a gun amnesty will not work in Guyana; that it will fail. That is precisely why the Ministry never pushed it forward,” Rohee said.
Yesterday Rohee was asked his opinion on the programme 21 days into it.
He said that he hadn’t any up to date figure on the number of firearms and rounds handed to the authorities. Rohee said, however, that a look at some of the photographs in the newspapers “because that is the most I can go by”, made him question the source of the guns.
The General Secretary said, “Some of those things look like relics…Bandits don’t use those kinds of firearms these days so where they came from is another question.”
Rohee added, “There is rumour going around the country…There have been rumours of the source of these firearms and these big set of rounds and who is handing it in whether it is through ‘another person’ or ‘another person’ or what the case may be.”
He refused to give further details of the “rumour”. When asked for such Rohee said, “You from Kaieteur News, you must know that man.”
Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, Prime Minister Nagamootoo and Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud are satisfied at the number of weapons and ammunition turned in so far.
Up to about a week ago, two weeks into the month of amnesty, police indicated that 30 firearms along with over 1400 rounds had been turned in.
Among the firearms are several shotguns and a few pistols. But while over 1100 rounds of 7.62 X 51 ammunition were turned in, the absence of matching weapons remains a worry.
As he viewed a display of most of the illegal firearms and ammunition surrendered thus far, Nagamootoo urged the country’s Magistracy and Judiciary to take notice of the prevalence of crime involving the use of firearms, and deal condignly with offenders.
At present, the maximum penalty that can be imposed by a Magistrate for the illegal possession of a firearm is five years.
Nagamootoo said that he expects that in the remaining days of the amnesty more illegal weapons and ammunition will be turned in, and he urged family members of persons with such weapons to plea with them to come forward.
He reminded that immediately after the amnesty period has ended, there will be a crackdown to reign in all unlicenced firearms.
Nagamootoo said that failure to turn in illegal guns will result in the offending persons having to deal with the “Bad Man” at the Public Security Ministry, Khemraj Ramjattan who has made no bones about going after them relentlessly, come October 1.

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Rohee questions source of ‘relic’ guns turned in through amnesty programme

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