Persons will not be prosecuted if they turn in their illegal firearms – Police

The Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF) is once again offering amnesty to persons who turn in illegal firearms.

The announcement was made over the last two weeks as members of the Crime Prevention Unit of the RSVGPF, conducted a series of school tours around the island, in their ‘Zero Tolerance{{more}} Against Crime’ campaign, ahead of this year’s carnival season.

During the road shows, police announced that persons in possession of unlicensed firearms would not be prosecuted if they turn these weapons in to the police, or if they are afraid to do so, they may hand in the weapons accompanied by a lawyer or a Justice of the Peace, or have these individuals do it for them.

The officers warned that there would be no leniency if illegal firearms are discovered on persons or in their homes when police carry out searches. They also stated that culprits would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law if caught with illegal firearms.

The maximum sentence for possession of an illegal firearm if convicted at the magistrate’s court is seven years, while if a person is found guilty before the High Court, the sentence is at the discretion of the judge.

During their road campaigns, police urged all persons coming into Kingstown for carnival and other activities to leave all weapons at home, and avoid bringing excess cash and jewelry to the city. They advised against the excessive consumption of alcohol, which would make individuals easy targets for crimes, especially sexual assaults and robberies.

The Crime Prevention Unit warned persons about carrying wallets and cell phones in their back pockets, which would make them easy targets for pick pockets. Women were also advised to safely tuck their handbags under their arms and were told that they should always have the zippers of these bags closed and facing forward to make it more difficult for thieves to slip their hands into them.

The police noted that around this time, persons visit the country under the guise of participating in Vincy Mas, but use the opportunity to commit crimes.

Vendors were reminded that the ‘No Glass Bottle’ policy continues to be in effect and cautioned to be aware of counterfeit currency being circulated around this time.

The Crime Prevention Unit will showcase counterfeit and genuine notes today as the unit holds the first of two exhibitions at the Central Police Station in Kingstown. The second will take place on July 3.