Holness warns diaspora not to send guns home
Published:Saturday | March 19, 2022 | 12:09 AM
With the high levels of gun crimes plaguing Jamaica, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has sounded a warning to Jamaicans overseas who send guns back home.
He also took aim at the so-called ‘shottas’ and their girlfriends and mothers who “hang around them” to encourage these persons to give up their weapons.
“I have a word to all those overseas sending back guns to Jamaica in barrels and TVs, stop it; we will find you! You mean us no good. ‘Cyaan seh mi neva did warn you’,” said Holness referencing the popular song by Anthony Red Rose.
The prime minister directed his warning, especially to young men who hide weapons, sell, rent or become couriers for them.
“The trigger pullers who use them – the shottas. I am sending a message to those who hang around the gunmen – the girlfriends, babymothers, sisters and mothers who give them cover and protection. Give up the gun!”
Holness declared that the security forces have redoubled their efforts and will find the illegal guns. He said the consequences for those connected with these illegal firearms will be grim.
A joint select committee of Parliament is now reviewing the Firearms (Prohibitions, Restriction and Regulation) Act, 2022. The bill contains provisions for persons who possess or trade in illegal weapons to serve up to life imprisonment or a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years in prison.
He urged mothers and family members of young men who have illegal guns to warn them and help them to give up the weapons.
Holness said that Jamaica recorded 967 major crimes from January 1 to March 14, an 11 per cent reduction over the corresponding period last year, but also the lowest incidence of major crime since 2010.
He said that there were 292 murders from the start of the year to March 14, a 5.2 per cent decline when compared with the corresponding period in 2021.
There were 222 incidents of shooting over the period under review, compared with 274 for the similar period in 2021. This represents a 19 per cent decline.
The security forces have seized 196 firearms up to March 14, representing an overall increase of 26 per cent over the corresponding period last year.