BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – IN continuation of their efforts to rid the Federation of illegal firearms, members of the Special Services Unit (SSU), dubbed the ‘A Team’, have removed another pistol and a quantity of ammunition off the streets.
A police communiqué informed that at approximately 10:20 p.m. on Saturday (Jan. 16), members of the SSU had stopped and searched four persons of interest in the Nevis Street area, Basseterre, which resulted in the find of one 9mm pistol and a magazine with six matching rounds.
The four individuals are currently in custody assisting police with their investigation.
This has been the second illegal firearm and 22 rounds of ammunition taken off the streets of St. Kitts and Nevis for this year.
The first one was on Sunday (Jan. 3) during a stop and search operation by the SSU in the Pond’s Pasture area, where a vehicle was searched and a M12 pistol with a magazine containing 16 matching rounds were found.
Two men were taken into custody but only one of them, Adrian Webster of Sandown Road, Newtown, was charged after he took responsibility for the illegal items.
He had appeared in the Magistrate’s Court and was sentenced to serve three years hard labour at Her Majesty’s Prison.
Last year, the police had removed 21 illegal firearms and a large quantity of ammunition off the Federation’s streets.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a former member of the Police Force is of the view that while some people are “bashing the police” over the large amount of homicides committed last year and previous years, they have not taken into consideration how many more deaths and injuries may have been prevented in the removal of illegal firearms off the streets.
“Let us give praise when deserved! We have a numerically small Police Force, but the officers, especially those in the SSU and the Drug Squad, have been working tirelessly and putting their lives on the line in protection of the nation and visitors to our Federation against gun-toting criminals.
“Let us be realistic just for once and analyse what could have happened if the police did not remove those guns from our streets. Take, for example, the two firearms and the 22 rounds of ammunition seized in this month. That could have resulted in a number of deaths and injuries. Therefore, let us not look only at how many of our young men had been victims of gun violence, but also how many more could have suffered if the officers were not vigilant,” the ex-police officer opined.
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