New cash-for-guns scheme coming
Published:Tuesday | February 1, 2022 | 12:11 AMAndre Williams/Staff Reporter
The Government is launching a new incentive-based campaign to reward persons offering information leading to the seizure of illegal guns and the arrest and charge of wanted persons.
The National Crime Prevention Fund (NCPF), which operates Crime Stop – a partnership between the police, the private sector and the media – already pays out for tips, but the Prime Minister Andrew Holness-chaired National Security Council (NSC) last week agreed on the development of another robust national campaign against illegal guns and gangs.
Young men will be the key demographic target of the campaign, which stakeholders say aims to educate the population on the dangers of illegal guns and dissuade persons from dealing, trafficking, procuring, possessing and using such weapons.
“There will be a significant public-education component on the new Firearms Act and the penalties that will be applied to persons involved with illegal weapons,” said a release from the Office of the Prime Minister. “Additionally, it was agreed [at last week’s meeting] that significant incentives should be provided to the public to share information leading to the recovery of illegal weapons.”
A dedicated fund will be set up to support the initiative.
Holness told the new members of NSC, including National Security State Minister Zavia Mayne, Attorney General Dr Derrick McKoy, and Chief of Defence Staff Rear Admiral Antonette Wemyss Gorman, that the public must be fully encouraged to share information.
Helped crack several cases
NCPF Chairman Sandra Glasgow had previously told The Gleaner that the number of tips received in 2020 fell by roughly a third amid the COVID-19 pandemic; however, the administrators were able help the police crack several cases and retrieve illegal firearms based on the information received.
Crime Stop received 1,020 tips in 2019 and 679 in 2020, which resulted in overall payouts of $8.2 million and $5.8 million, respectively.
Between January and May 2021, it had received 308 tips and managed to assist in the seizure of 19 firearms and 279 rounds of ammunition.
During a recent stakeholder’s street meeting in the Parade Gardens area of Central Kingston on January 14, a Crime Stop spokesperson told residents that it takes a short time to process rewards after giving credible information leading to seizure of guns or arrests.
“It takes two weeks to get your reward … . After the processing has expired then you collect your money,” the representative said.
“Weapon (9mm) alone is $100,000. If an arrest is made, $50,000 is added. A rifle is $150,000; if it’s two rifles, $300,000,” he said further, sharing details of the incentive scheme, noting that confidentiality would be maintained as he noted there had not been any compromise in identity in the scheme’s 30-plus years of operation.
Citizens providing information are given codes, which they can use to collect their rewards at remittance companies.
Giving more details, he said that information on adults having sexual relations with children under 16 years old could also yield a payout of $100,000 if an arrest is made and charges laid.
“We have instances where we collect a barrel of gun and the man collect his millions in piece, piece because that’s how him say him want it … . If the person is on the JCF (Jamaica Constabulary Force) wanted list, it goes up to $1 million. I have seen where a most wanted person was handed to us on a platter. The man collect him $1 million and today he is still a Crime Stop source,” said the Crime Stop representative.
“You can’t sit back and say the police nah do nothing ... . Help us help you,” he said.
Last week, the police released the names of 88 wanted persons across several police divisions, seeking the public’s assistance for their capture.
Information on the Crime Stop website notes that since it was established in 1989, the agency has received some 30,000 tips, facilitated more than 2,700 arrests, paying out more than $51 million, with more than $1 billion in illegal drugs and recovered property netted.
The JCF recovered hundreds of assorted rounds and more than 50 firearms last month.
Police data show that breaches of the firearm act arrest and charge increase by 15 per cent between 2020 and 2021.
There were 1,114 charges in 2020 which increased by 171 to 1,285 in 2021.
A further review of police statistics showed ammunition seized from 2018 to 2021 amounted to 31,230 and firearms 1,838.
LIST OF SEIZURES
January 1 to August 28, 2021 vs comparative years 2017 -2020
Firearms seized 2021 2020 2019 2018
Rifles 33 35 31 32
Submachine guns 10 4 18 11
Shotguns 10 15 19 16
Pistols 338 278 288 333
Revolvers 48 61 83 59
Home-made guns 18 30 36 32
TOTAL 457 423 475 483