Police renew appeal for public help as gun seizures rise

Police stepped up their call for Barbadians to share information about illegal firearms, as new figures show an increase in gun and ammunition seizures this year, according to Acting Commissioner of Police Erwin Boyce.

He told reporters on Wednesday that some 63 firearms have been seized so far this year, compared with 61 in 2024.

Boyce also told a press briefing at Police Headquarters on Roebuck Street, The City, that 1 750 rounds of ammunition have been confiscated this year, compared with 485 last year.

“It is difficult for me to say we have made significant inroads, but we are sufficiently satisfied that the effort by ourselves is fairly consistent and fairly robust in the search for firearms,” he said, adding that the greatest challenge in ridding the streets of guns is the provision of information.

“[If] you see something, you say something. People think that you need to have a biography, if you are telling us ‘there is a gun at my house’. And I do have a lot of respect for parents or for siblings who said to the police at some point in time, ‘my son has a weapon.’ I rather him to face the consequences alive, than to face the consequences in another area. So, information, information, information is critical… If you see, you say. You can pass on information and we will act on the information.”

He added: “We will not be malicious, because we will respect the human rights of the individuals…the constitutional rights. So, we will not be malicious, but we will do our background to ensure that the information has some credibility and some usefulness in the effort.”

Boyce identified the cooperation between the police service and border security agencies as essential to stemming the flow of illegal arms into the country.

He said: “The relationship that was established with the border security agencies speaks to the effort, speaks to the collaboration that is needed to ensure that there are no gaps, or little gaps at the ports of entry to import these things. But I always say to people, we can have all the technology, we can have all the scanners, but the weak link in these things is human beings…the human beings who are subjected to family ties; who are subjected to ‘what’s in it for me’? That substantially is the issue. The weak link is the human being in this matter.

“I am satisfied that customs and the port authority are doing what they ought to do in terms of managing border security; but it is the human being that we need to zero in on, in terms of tightening the grip on border security.” (EJ)