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St.Kitts-Nevis Prime Minister Dr. Tiothy Harris is reporting increased success in the removal of guns from the streets of the Federation. This revelation was made during the first working session of parliament under the newly elected Team UNITY Administration.
Dr Harris stated “There has been increased success in the removal of firearms from the streets. In 2014, a total of twelve (12) illegal firearms were recovered from the streets, so far for this year eleven (11) firearms have been recovered, the most recent been on June 24th in Boyd’s during a stop and search operation. These operations will continue over the foreseeable future and will be extended to other areas, including the inter-island ferry terminals and jetties.”
Gun Amnesties is a tried and tested approach to getting guns off the streets. It is an approach that has yielded positive results in many countries throughout the world. With recent successes in the removal of firearms from the streets Dr. Harris indicated that the introduction of a Gun Amnesty is being contemplated to signicantly enhance the gun confiscation and removal efforts of the police force
Dr Harris stated “Considerations have been given to providing a Gun Amnesty to enable persons in the community to bring in the guns off the street. There is mixed reaction to a Gun Amnesty, whether it should be done, and if it is done, how it should be done; whether there should be an incentive and what type of incentive. Implementation of a Gun Amnesty requires more discussion and I am awaiting a formal submission from the Police on this matter to take to Cabinet for consideration.”
On Wednesday June 24th a firearm was removed from the streets of the Federation when Kevin Hamilton, formally of St. Paul’s Village but who now resides at West Farm, was taken into custody at about 5:30 p.m. by the Anti-Narcotics Unit during a Stop and Search Operation.
A search of his person revealed that he had one semi-automatic pistol with a magazine that had a number of matching rounds tucked in the waist of his pants.
Hamilton is “being looked at as a person of interest in connection with the Wednesday morning (Jun. 24) shooting of Ernest ‘Gray Patch’ Hendricks in Palmetto Point”.