To seek bail today
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE two other men who were taken into police custody along with a Customs Officer and another man on Saturday (Aug. 19), following the discovery of two illegal firearms and a quantity of ammunition in the Newton Ground area, have been charged and are seeking bail.
A police communiqué issued yesterday (Aug. 31) stated that Alyston Douglas and Tijmah Jones, both of St. Paul’s Village, were formally arrested and charged with two counts of possession of firearm, two counts of possession of firearm with intent by means thereof to endanger life, and one count of possession of ammunition.
Earlier this week, Customs Officer Darren ‘Bookie’ Caines and Keithroy ‘Luddy’ Freeman, both of whom also reside St. Paul’s Village, were slapped with similar charges.
This media house has learnt that the four men were all remanded at Her Majesty’s Prison and would be going before the Magistrate’s Court in Basseterre today to seek their pre-trial liberty.
On Saturday (Aug. 19), police had reported that a surveillance mission was launched in the Newton Ground area, where members of the Special Services Unit and the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force conducted searches on two vehicles and discovered a Glock 23 Pistol with 20 .40 rounds of ammunition and a Ruger SR 40 Pistol with 11 rounds of ammunition.the two illegal firearms and ammunition.
That discovery had taken to 37 the number of illegal firearms taken off the streets of St. Kitts and Nevis for 2017; one more than the total seized last year.
Commenting on the discovery at that time, Deputy Commissioner of Police Hilroy Brandy said: “I want to commend the team on this seizure. The Team Leader saw something out of the ordinary, reflected and relied on his training and took the appropriate actions. He followed his intuition, and it reaped dividends...two more illegal firearms are off the streets.”
Commissioner of Police Ian Queeley had also commented on the discovery, noting that it underscored the point that the Security Forces’ efforts to rid the communities of illegal guns continue to be a challenge, and that the joint forces is committed to ensuring Citizen Safety in the Federation.
“This seizure, coming on the heels of those about two weeks ago, will serve as a motivator for our teams. It will also reinforce that by staying focused and vigilant our efforts will continue to bear fruit. To the team, I say a job well done.”
He continued: “I urge all citizens to join us in our efforts to ensure safe communities. I encourage you to come forward and share any information you may have with regards to crime and criminal activity.”
The Commissioner had advised that that the sharing of information could be done by calling any police station, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477 or by using the SKN Crime Reporter App on a Smartphone.
