For the first time, the Royal Anguilla Police Force called a press conference, on Tuesday, January 30, 2018, to display several firearms and ammunition seized in raids across the island since 2013.
The illegal firearms included twelve pistols, three revolvers, two assault rifles and one .22 rifle along with several hundred rounds of ammunition.
“These guns can be easily concealed and are very deadly,” Commissioner of Police, Mr. Paul Morrison, told media representatives. “We have been working very hard to have illegal guns taken off the street. The Royal Anguilla Police Force, with its commitment to reducing crime and the incidents of crime, is tackling gun crime as a priority.”
The Commissioner, accompanied by members of his High Command, continued: “It was important to invite the media in because we have been focusing very heavily on reducing serious crime and tackling gun crime in particular. We have seized a number of weapons, as you would have seen on our Facebook pages, but sometimes those stories get lost in time. We thought we would visually represent the weapons that have been recovered. Some of the weapons are subject to court processes and cannot be displayed. However, these are some of them we have taken, off the streets, from offenders. Some of them have been used in robberies and murder and others have been found in the possession of individuals. Many have come from intelligence-led policing where officers have been briefed and have targeted individuals.”
The Commissioner described the displayed ammunition as ranging from 9 mm to 45 calibre and upwards – and some shotgun material as well. He further said: “It is important that we maintain our focus on serious crime. It has been my priority since arriving in Anguilla in 2015. We have charged a number of persons in relation to these weapons. I think with our new ballistic capability in our forensic laboratory, we are better able to exam these weapons in more detail. We will be entering them on our ballistic data base to see if they are linked to other crimes and not just the crimes – for which they have been seized and now here before you.”
Mr. Morrison said he wanted to get three key messages to the public as follows: “These weapons, taken off the streets, presented a real risk of harm to persons within Anguilla. They are easily concealable and we appeal to members of the public to report persons whom they know have [illegal] firearms; and for persons who have these firearms to surrender them to the police before they are used in crime. Secondly, the priority of the police is to tackle serious crime, and we will be focusing on making more seizures and directing our intelligence to persons who may or may not possess these weapons. The third message is that, wherever possible, we will seek to prosecute and penalise those who use these weapons to cause harm to others.”
The police press conference and display of illegal firearms came a week following the first murder in Anguilla for 2018, that of Joel Webster. He was shot and killed on Monday, January 20, in the Tackling area, Little Dix. “The investigation was led by Detective Inspector, Haslyn Patterson, using techniques and processes that we have been developing over the last two years,” Mr. Morrison disclosed. “This led to early identification of some very good lines of inquiry to identify possible suspects. As a result of that, and interviews, we were able to charge one individual with murder, conspiracy to murder – and a second individual with conspiracy to murder.”
Meanwhile, a police press release has reminded the public in Anguilla that in Section 50 of the Firearms Act “both the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition carry hefty fines” [and imprisonment]. It reads as follows:
Any person guilty of an offence under this Act for which no penalty is otherwise provided is liable –
• On summary conviction to a fine of $200,000 or to imprisonment for a term of 5 years or to both; or
• On conviction upon indictment to a fine or to imprisonment for a period of 14 years, or to both.
