Jamaica: 500 illegal weapons seized since January

Around 500 illegal weapons have been taken off Jamaican streets under the Get the Guns campaign between January and June this year.

Robert Montague, minister of national security, said last week that the figure represents a 32% increase over the similar period last year.

“I also want to put on record that based on intelligence, the price for an illegal weapon is cheaper than a legal weapon,” he said.

He said the campaign continues to reap results in the number of illegal guns seized by the security forces.

The Get the Guns campaign, which began in 2015, is one of the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s crime-fighting initiatives aimed at reducing the number of guns available for use in murders across the island.

It involves, among other things, intercepting illegal guns entering the island and seizing them from criminals.

The campaign features a reward scheme to encourage members of the public to provide information.

There is a collaboration with the Haitian law-enforcement authorities due to the high inflow of illegal guns from the French-speaking island.