CARIBBEAN-Regional police are benefiting from a new project to test firearms.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC—The Trinidad-based Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) says Guyana has become the latest CARICOM country to benefit from a project allowing the country’s police to test firearms recovered from crime scenes.

IMPACS, in collaboration with the United States (US) Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), is hosting a three-day workshop that ends later on Friday.

The other countries to host a similar workshop are St. Kitts-Nevis, Barbados, and Grenada. IMPACS and INL said that they have since acquired the equipment, which includes one 50 BMG bullet trap and one automated ballistic intelligence system (IBIS BRASSTRAX), to support the Guyana Police Force (GPF) in solving firearms-related incidents and prosecuting perpetrators.

Home Affairs Minister Brindley Robeson Benn told the CARICOM Crime Gun Intelligence Unit (CGIU) sensitization and awareness workshop that the CARICOM region continues to suffer the consequences of illegal weapons, which causes an increase in gun crime.

Year-to-date statistics in Guyana show that the GPF has recovered 149 firearms, 140 of which were illegal. Fifty-six were examined on the comparison microscope, and 84 were inspected to identify the weapons’ type, model, and caliber, with 101 being pistols.

He said the GPF has also observed that a significant amount of the weapons recovered are shipped in barrels and entering Guyana through its commercial maritime ports.

“It has been a growing issue for gun-related crimes going to court and being dismissed, especially those charges for possession of an illegal firearm. We want this to change. The Ministry is in the drafting stages of modeling a Firearms Control Bill where we expect a large amount of the weighty issues to face the fullness of the act,” he said.

Benn said that the involvement of international organizations was crucial in the fight against illegal firearms, as they bring expertise, resources, and best practices from global experiences and pointed out that Guyana’s collaboration with entities such as INL, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and other US government agencies underscores a robust partnership aimed at enhancing the capacity of local law enforcement agencies.

IMPACS executive director, Lt. Col. Michael Jones, said that since the establishment of the CGIU in 2023, the region has seen significant benefits and explained that there has been a marked improvement in collaboration with Member States on firearms-related events and investigations and enhanced coordination in handling cases.

“The Unit has received approximately 82 firearms-related reports from member states, developed and disseminated 20 intelligence packages, and is currently supporting seven ongoing cases in Guyana. Most recently, quick action by the CGIU, member states, and US partners led to the detention of a suspect upon returning to the US and reopening a previously dormant case.

“There continues to be an increase in the interception of firearms at the US border, and within CARICOM member states, there is an increase in the number of port and inland seizures involving firearms, ammunition, magazines, and parts,” Lt. Col. Jones said, reiterating that combatting firearms-related crimes required a unified approach.

He restated CARICOM IMPACS’ commitment to maintaining operational support and collaborating closely with partners to enhance the capabilities and capacities of the Firearms Units within the region.

He said the CGIU, with support from the INL, has been working alongside US agencies such as ATF, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) to support firearm-related investigations through the provision of relevant and actionable intelligence.

US Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot, told the workshop that transnational criminal groups traffic small arms and ammunition throughout the Caribbean, threatening the region’s collective security, undermining regional stability, and driving irregular migration.

She said that many of those firearms were coming from the US, and there was a deep desire for the US to take a very active role in helping combat that scourge.

The diplomat said INL had invested more than two million US dollars in helping CARICOM establish the CGIU and that we were taking more steps to eliminate the threats posed by illicit firearms. These include new regulations from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which will prohibit the shipping of cargo from the US to the Caribbean under US$2,500 without any identifying information.

She explained that this new requirement will be implemented soon and will adjust US export regulations to require a complete manifest and proof of identification for all shippers of cargo going to the Caribbean, regardless of value, making it easier to trace.

“The United States is working hard with our partners to help make Guyana a more secure and prosperous democracy and to help combat firearms trafficking from every angle throughout the Caribbean,” Theriot said.

CARICOM IMPACS and INL will provide equipment to two additional member states in the coming months. The IBIS BRASSTRAX Acquisition will allow the states to digitally capture images of cartridge cases in 2D and 3D and view the impression details from multiple views and angles. The bullet catcher can recover bullets from pistol and rifle test fires, is more cost-effective than water tanks, and captures bullets undamaged so that examinations and comparisons can be made. CARIBBEAN-Regional police are benefiting from a new project to test firearms.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC—The Trinidad-based Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) says Guyana has become the latest CARICOM country to benefit from a project allowing the country’s police to test firearms recovered from crime scenes.

IMPACS, in collaboration with the United States (US) Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), is hosting a three-day workshop that ends later on Friday.

The other countries to host a similar workshop are St. Kitts-Nevis, Barbados, and Grenada. IMPACS and INL said that they have since acquired the equipment, which includes one 50 BMG bullet trap and one automated ballistic intelligence system (IBIS BRASSTRAX), to support the Guyana Police Force (GPF) in solving firearms-related incidents and prosecuting perpetrators.

Home Affairs Minister Brindley Robeson Benn told the CARICOM Crime Gun Intelligence Unit (CGIU) sensitization and awareness workshop that the CARICOM region continues to suffer the consequences of illegal weapons, which causes an increase in gun crime.

Year-to-date statistics in Guyana show that the GPF has recovered 149 firearms, 140 of which were illegal. Fifty-six were examined on the comparison microscope, and 84 were inspected to identify the weapons’ type, model, and caliber, with 101 being pistols.

He said the GPF has also observed that a significant amount of the weapons recovered are shipped in barrels and entering Guyana through its commercial maritime ports.

“It has been a growing issue for gun-related crimes going to court and being dismissed, especially those charges for possession of an illegal firearm. We want this to change. The Ministry is in the drafting stages of modeling a Firearms Control Bill where we expect a large amount of the weighty issues to face the fullness of the act,” he said.

Benn said that the involvement of international organizations was crucial in the fight against illegal firearms, as they bring expertise, resources, and best practices from global experiences and pointed out that Guyana’s collaboration with entities such as INL, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and other US government agencies underscores a robust partnership aimed at enhancing the capacity of local law enforcement agencies.

IMPACS executive director, Lt. Col. Michael Jones, said that since the establishment of the CGIU in 2023, the region has seen significant benefits and explained that there has been a marked improvement in collaboration with Member States on firearms-related events and investigations and enhanced coordination in handling cases.

“The Unit has received approximately 82 firearms-related reports from member states, developed and disseminated 20 intelligence packages, and is currently supporting seven ongoing cases in Guyana. Most recently, quick action by the CGIU, member states, and US partners led to the detention of a suspect upon returning to the US and reopening a previously dormant case.

“There continues to be an increase in the interception of firearms at the US border, and within CARICOM member states, there is an increase in the number of port and inland seizures involving firearms, ammunition, magazines, and parts,” Lt. Col. Jones said, reiterating that combatting firearms-related crimes required a unified approach.

He restated CARICOM IMPACS’ commitment to maintaining operational support and collaborating closely with partners to enhance the capabilities and capacities of the Firearms Units within the region.

He said the CGIU, with support from the INL, has been working alongside US agencies such as ATF, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) to support firearm-related investigations through the provision of relevant and actionable intelligence.

US Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot, told the workshop that transnational criminal groups traffic small arms and ammunition throughout the Caribbean, threatening the region’s collective security, undermining regional stability, and driving irregular migration.

She said that many of those firearms were coming from the US, and there was a deep desire for the US to take a very active role in helping combat that scourge.

The diplomat said INL had invested more than two million US dollars in helping CARICOM establish the CGIU and that we were taking more steps to eliminate the threats posed by illicit firearms. These include new regulations from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which will prohibit the shipping of cargo from the US to the Caribbean under US$2,500 without any identifying information.

She explained that this new requirement will be implemented soon and will adjust US export regulations to require a complete manifest and proof of identification for all shippers of cargo going to the Caribbean, regardless of value, making it easier to trace.

“The United States is working hard with our partners to help make Guyana a more secure and prosperous democracy and to help combat firearms trafficking from every angle throughout the Caribbean,” Theriot said.

CARICOM IMPACS and INL will provide equipment to two additional member states in the coming months. The IBIS BRASSTRAX Acquisition will allow the states to digitally capture images of cartridge cases in 2D and 3D and view the impression details from multiple views and angles. The bullet catcher can recover bullets from pistol and rifle test fires, is more cost-effective than water tanks, and captures bullets undamaged so that examinations and comparisons can be made.