BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - AN official of the Customs Department has taken issue with comments made by the Commissioner of Police (COP) suggesting that members of that department are responsible for smuggling illegal firearms and ammunition into the Federation.
In an article published in the past weekend’s edition of the St. Kitts Nevis Observer newspaper, Commissioner of Police Austin Williams is quoted as saying, “I can’t pinpoint anybody or anytime but it has always been my belief that most of the illegal firearms coming into the country come through our air and sea ports. Before the incident at the airport, I had raised concerns with the Comptroller of Customs that I believe illegal firearms are coming through the ports. They didn’t believe me and then the week after they intercept the six firearms at the airport.”
The Observer noted that the “six firearms” incident referred to by the COP is that of Vernlyn Zakers who, during the last criminal assizes, was convicted of firearm importation and possession.
Assistant Comptroller of Customs with responsibility for Port Operations, Terry Adams spoke exclusively with SKNVibes about the Commissioner’s statements, noting his total dissatisfaction with the manner in which the COP handled this situation.
“I am here with the Observer Newspaper dated Friday 25th September where the headline reads ‘Commissioner suspects Customs in gun smuggling’, and there is a number of firearms and ammunition that one can see which, in my opinion, is suggesting these may very well be some of the weapons that could have been smuggled into St. Kitts and Nevis.
“He went a bit further in the article by saying his belief is that most of the weapons, firearms and ammunition, are coming through the legal port of entry. I am saying, if the Commissioner of Police has that belief, or he suspects or has knowledge, and not come and say this to the Comptroller of Customs, to me it is a waste of time because they are pointing fingers to particular customs officers without mentioning their names.”
Adams explained that the Commissioner of Police, having suspicions of any customs officer or having evidence of gun smuggling committed or aided by any customs officer, should have first approached the Comptroller of Customs and relayed his concerns rather than approach the media.
“We have said in the past to the police that if they suspect or if they believe any customs officer is involved in gun smuggling, then they must come and give us the names of those customs officers and we are going to deal with the matter. For the Commissioner not to come and give the Observer and interview to bring down an organisation which he has to work with, to me, is hypocritical…The Commissioner ought to have come to the Comptroller of Customs to discuss these matters before he said what he said in the newspaper.”
According to the Observer, the Commissioner said, “We have been to the Customs personnel to discuss the issue.” However, Adams claims this has yet to be done.
“To date, to my knowledge, as the Assistance Comptroller of Customs responsible for port operations, the Comptroller of Customs has not relayed to me anything that the Commissioner has said to him and I believe if the Commissioner had relayed anything to the Comptroller of Customs personally or otherwise…I would have gotten that information. I am totally disappointed with the Commissioner of Police.
Adams accused the police of “not cooperating” with the Customs Department in its crime-fighting efforts but admitted that in recent times, strides to do so have been made.
“It was just recently we had to be begging the police, literally begging them, to come (and) meet with us as it relates to the problem of the importation of firearms and ammunition. The police did not come back to us until after a year and maybe three months, to have a meeting with us where we brought out to them…that it is not good enough for them to be charging people on possession. Realising that the goods must pass through a Customs process, what happen to the importation part of it?
“I am surprised now that the Commissioner is even mentioning that when they are not even cooperating. It is only in recent times, maybe about a month ago, the police have shown the Customs what type of weapons they have been taking off the streets. They have not been sharing intelligence and information with us, and even when they share any kind of information and intelligence it is not in a timely manner. So I think the Commissioner must shut up. He must shut up. Because the Customs is an integral part of any law enforcement and if he has a problem with the Customs or any officer, the Commissioner must first come to the Comptroller of Customs rather than going to the press to say to the Comptroller of Customs what he believes and what he suspects.”
