Georgetown: “I have never approved a riffle to anyone in this country, save and expect that it has been approved by the firearm licensing board,” Police Commissioner (ag), David Ramnarine said in rebuttal to allegations of being corrupt and bias in the issuing of firearm licence.
At the Police Public Relations Office, Eve Leary Saturday , Ramnarine said there is a lot of loose talk about selling firearm licence, “let’s launch an investigation, let’s not launch an investigation 10 years ago about what happened, or five years ago about what happened, lets launch an investigation starting this year, let me make it more explicit, let’s launch it from the 1st, July, this year.” The Top Cop called and challenged the authorities to launch the investigation to inquire who is behind making firearm licences a business.
“I saw on a certain website that I am selling firearm licence daily and I’m making millions of dollars… I was not the one who granted firearm licences to a known drug trafficker who skipped the United States came to this country and set up himself, and he has dozens of firearm licences,” Ramnarine disclosed “ I am the one who refused to entertain an application from a relative of a known drug kingpin who requested additional firearm licences.”
Ramnarine said during his stewardship as acting Police Commissioner he refused many applications and also refused granting firearm upgrades.
“I have carefully considered whatever I have granted with the authority vested in me as the acting Commissioner of Police those security services that really need additional firearm licences, I have been in deep and regular consultation with the subject Minister on almost all of these occasions and I have been assured that my actions are above board,” Ramnarine explained.
Ex-army Chief-of-Staff Brigadier General (rtd) Mark Phillips Friday urged collaboration with the police to ensure safety and security as he believes that incidents of gun-related crime in the country are at their highest, and has ranked the issue as the most pressing matter facing the society.
Phillips, who retired as Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) earlier this month, was at the time addressing a security forum and expo organised by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) at Duke Lodge.
“I place at number one violent crime, because notwithstanding the crime statistics that speaks to a reduction in crime, it is my firm belief as a citizen of Guyana that the high incidence of gun-related crimes is today the most pressing problem in the Guyanese society”, Phillips told the gathering of private security firm heads, among other stakeholders. Philips shared these sentiments although the Guyana Police Force earlier this month reported a 21 per cent decline in serious crimes at the end of September.
Philips reiterated his position while speaking as a citizen. “I am simply stating that citizen security is the measure of state security, since the extent to which the people of Guyana can live in freedom and safety is the extent to which the state is secure”, Phillips added.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Security is creating a special ‘firearm management system’ that will assist agencies in determining the legality of a firearm holder, since such persons would be listed in a database of registered gun holders. The firearm management system would also provide a paper trail on how a gun was acquired, since it would show the steps that were taken, all the way to the Firearm Licensing Board.
The Commissioner of Police and divisional commanders who are the first set of authorities to be approached in the licensing process will help review licences to determine whether or not they should be renewed.
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