Police to Strengthen Partnership with Haiti under ‘Get the Guns’ Campaign

The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) will be strengthening collaboration with the police in Haiti in order to disrupt and shrink the illicit drugs for guns trade between the two countries.

“Arrangements are in place, as we speak, to dispatch police officers to Haiti to consult with the Haitian police,” said Police Commissioner, Dr. Carl Williams.

He was addressing a press conference at his Old Hope Road headquarters in St. Andrew today (September 17), to officially launch its ‘Get the Guns’ campaign aimed at taking illegal guns out of the hands of criminals.

“The purpose of the campaign is to significantly reduce the number of illegal guns and ammunition that are used by criminals to wreak havoc in our society,” Dr. Williams said.

In addition to tackling the drugs for guns trade, the campaign will also involve increasing islandwide search and seizure operations; heightening  police presence on the roads; increasing the monitoring of coastlines; and making greater use of police intelligence resources.

Incentives are to be provided to police stations and police personnel, who have seized the largest number of guns.

The Commissioner, who first announced the Get the Guns’ campaign in July, said the police are now ready to act on the initiative in order to reduce gun violence in the country.

He informed that firearms were used in more than 10,300 murders over the last 10 years.

“That is approximately 75 per cent of the 13,780 plus murders recorded over the period. During the same period, an additional 9,000 Jamaicans were shot and injured resulting in a heavy burden in our health services,” he said.

Dr. Williams noted further that “20,598 persons were robbed at gunpoint with many of them killed during the course of the robbery. During the same period, guns featured in the rape of some 1,200 defenceless women and girls.”

The Police Commissioner urged the citizenry to take a stand against illegal guns in their community and report what they know to Crime Stop, assuring that all information provided will be kept confidential.  He also called on the church to assist in the effort to get illegal guns off the streets.

Chief Executive Officer of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), Dennis Chung, and businessman Ferris Ziadie, who were on hand to lend their support, also called for greater public involvement in crime fighting.

Mr. Ziadie argued that crime will undermine the country’s economy and lessen needed investments, if the wider society does not play a greater role in the reduction of guns in the society.