Inventory of Weapons Used and Recovered by the Police Subject to Rigorous Audit

Minister of National Security, Derrick Smith, has said that the leadership of the security force rigorously and routinely audits the inventory of weapons issued to the police as well as firearms recovered during police operations or otherwise.
The Minister was responding to questions raised by Member of Parliament for Central Kingston, Ronald Thwaites, in the House of Representatives on (Nov.13) on the matter of proper documentation of ammunition and firearm recovered or used by members of the police force.
“The Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) policy requires that all firearms and ammunition issued to the police as well as those recovered or otherwise, to be properly documented. Accountability for this procedure is placed on the commanding officer in charge of branches, areas and divisions,” Mr. Smith said.
He informed that “firearms issued to the police and its auxiliaries are all placed on an inventory at the headquarters armoury before they are distributed.” The inventory, he said, is routinely audited by administration and crime officers; members of the Performance Auditing and Monitoring Branch; station supervisors; inspectors; sergeants and corporals; headquarters officers; and internal auditors of the Ministry.
The audits are sent through the respective channels to the office of the Commissioner of Police, Deputy Commissioner of Police Administration and support services. Disciplinary action is taken against members who fail to properly account for weapons and ammunition in their position, whether issued or recovered.
For firearms and ammunition recovered or come into the custody of the police, the following procedures are applied. “Weapons are checked, labelled, recorded, and sent to the government’s forensic laboratory for testing. Ammunitions are placed in plastic bags separately. When firearms and ammunitions are retrieved from ballistics, they are handed over to the station exhibit keeper for safekeeping pending a court trial,” Mr. Smith informed.
He explained further that “they will remain secured in the exhibition store until the case is disposed of. The police officer assigned to the case will retrieve the weapon from the store and sign the exhibit register both on receipt of the weapon and on its return.”
Currently, 2,592 weapons including 167 homemade weapons, have been stripped for destruction and await final arrangement between the Ministry of National Security and the Caribbean Cement Company Limited for smelting.