BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – ACTING on intelligence, the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force found a .40 pistol earlier today (June 17), bringing its 2010 total of seized illegal firearms to 27.
Assistant Police Commissioner (ACP) with responsibility for Crime, Joseph Liburd, told SKNVibes the pistol was found among some bushes at Fountain Village in Nevis at 10:30 a.m.
He further stated that no one had been held in custody for the find.
Security forces seized 33 firearms in both 2008 and 2009, but with 27 at the year’s halfway point, they seem poised to break that record.
Praising it as an “excellent effort”, ACP Liburd said he was confident the police would improve upon its total from the last two years.
“I attribute these results to the vigilance of the police and other security forces. It is also because of our improved relationship with the public and the invaluable intelligence they provided. As always, I want to thank the public for its support.”
Liburd revealed that the pistol would be tested for ballistics evidence to see if it had been used in any of the Federation’s past shooting incidents, which he said is a process the police now follow after every weapon seizure.
Despite the force’s success in removing firearms, St. Kitts-Nevis has still recorded 14 murders for 2010, all of which were related to gunshot wounds.
The ACP said the police have no estimate as to the number of illegal firearms on the streets, but stressed that “even one firearm was too many”.
“During operations, we sometimes get the impression that there are a lot of guns. Sometimes we get the impression that there are only a few. But one gun is enough to kill a lot of people.
“So even though we’ve removed 27 of them, those that remain at large can still cause considerable damage. That’s why the police will continue seeking to do all we can to completely rid our streets of illegal weapons.”
