PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad– National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds Monday said there would be no gun amnesty to get illegal weapons off the streets. Still, instead, law enforcement authorities are undertaking a program similar to what exists in Jamaica in dealing with the situation.
Hinds, speaking in the Parliament in response to an opposition question, said that the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) is engaged in an intelligence-led program to rid the country of illegal weapons.
“Quite recently…The (acting) Commissioner of Police quite properly in my view and in the view of most right-thinking people in this country, like Jamaica and like other countries in the world, implemented a very active ongoing illegal firearm retrieval program”.
He said that he envisages going out “there based on intelligence and finding illegal firearms and bringing them into the hands of law enforcement as opposed to them being in criminal hands. That program is ongoing, and only recently, the (acting) Commissioner demonstrated for all of us to see a host of these illegal firearms collected. Madam Speaker, then the program continues”.
Hinds said an area in Central Trinidad is regarded as a leading hub for crime and drugs, “and to alleviate crime in that area, intelligence officers and special patrols have been assigned.
“In this regard, support is being provided by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service’s Air support wing,” Hinds added.
Last year, Trinidad and Tobago recorded 448 murders, while so far this year, the figure has reached nearly 200, with most of the killings being gun-related.
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