BSSETERRE, St. Kitts – WITH the Police Force regular removal of illegal firearms off the streets of St. Kitts and Nevis, questions remain on how these weapons are getting into the Federation and how they continue to pass through the borders undetected, since guns are not manufactured locally.
At the Prime Minister’s recent Monthly Press Conference, Commissioner of Police Ian Queeley was asked to address the issue of border security and he indicated that protecting the borders is a very critical part of the security architecture of his organization.
He noted that a number of new initiatives were undertaken to bolster border security with surrounding islands, including St. Maarten and the British Virgin Islands.
“We have, from an organizational standpoint, embarked on a number of collaborative efforts with our neighbouring islands. Such includes face-to-face meetings that we would have had as a group,” the Commissioner said. “And so coming out of that, we have been able to share critical aspects of the intelligence cycle.”
According to Queeley, the efforts have resulted in successes not only in St. Kitts and Nevis, but also those partnering islands.
Additionally, he noted that the joint operation and cooperation among local law enforcement authorities and those regionally continue to pay dividends.
CoP Queeley emphasized that the Police Force is committed to its mandate, pointing to the 18 firearms taken off the street of St. Kitts and Nevis for this year.
“This is no easy feat because we know that we do not manufacture them. It is because of the effort that we put in locally and regionally that we are able to achieve this.”
The Police Force has recently busted an illegal firearm and ammunition importers ring at one of SCASPA’s Sea Ports, which reportedly involved two Customs Officers.
Commander of the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force, Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Wallace explain that his organization continues to give support to its colleagues in the Police Force through the Coast Guard in their securing of the maritime borders.
He noted that all of the Coast Guard’s vessels are on active patrols, adding that they are equipped with Coastal Radars which would assist in manning the waters.
