Georgetown: Guyana’s ability to remove obsolete ammunition has been boosted with the receipt of a hydraulic shears and a small arms ammunition burning tank which will be used for the destruction of obsolete and surplus weapons, ammunition and explosives.
The two pieces of equipment were presented to Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee by the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) during a handing over ceremony at the Tactical Services Unit, Eve Leary, Thursday evening.
Present at the event were United States Ambassador to Guyana, Brent Hardt, UNLIREC’s Senior Programme Officer (Caribbean), and Stockpile Management and Destruction, Juliet Solomon, and Manufacturer’s Trainer (Hydraulic Shears), Peter Snow.
Solomon said that equipment were provided to Guyana with a view to ensuring that a permanent technical capacity is implemented. She said that UNLIREC will be returning in February to conduct training on the small arms ammunition burning tank and to support further destruction.
A legal study was conducted in Guyana by UNLIREC and a document was drafted which contains a comprehensive assessment of Guyana’s obligations, internationally under treaties and agreement, in respect of firearms, ammunition and explosives.
Officers of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) are currently undergoing training in the use and maintenance of the hydraulic shears.
Minister Rohee expressed gratitude to the UN body for the donation and encouraged the ranks who are being trained to utilise the equipment, to keep the safety of the people in mind.
Recently, the Firearms (Amendment) Bill was tabled in the National Assembly which is expected to create new offences in relation to possession and trafficking of components of a firearm.
Minister Rohee said that programmes such as this will contribute to the success of police reform, and if one is to understand the nature and depth of this programme, and what the equipment is to be used for, they will obviously see a link.
The Home Affairs Minister also took the opportunity to commend the police for successfully recovering some firearms and grenades recently. “The recent discovery of some firearms, rounds and grenade is a good manifestation of what we talk about … when we say we must do anything possible to take illegal fire arms off the streets,” he said.
Stolen firearms would usually find themselves on the streets and many times have been used to execute crimes. The Minister pointed out that this poses a greater challenge to Guyana and many other developing countries, noting that this issue must be looked at as integrated approach. “While we welcome this engagement…we ought to look at this activity as part and parcel of a much wider engagement and obligation that we,” Minister Rohee added.
He said that Guyana and its neighbouring countries will have to engage in bilateral and international cooperation to tackle the issue which can have a negative impact on economic growth.
He urged the force to “be on the ball”, because firearms don’t move by themselves. “We need greater institutional control, examining the regulations pertaining to the issuance of firearms, strengthening the internal intuitional arrangement and review the procedures for issuance of licences,” Minister Rohee further stated.
Ambassador Hardt explained that the goal of the programmer is to assist Caribbean and Latin American countries to dispose of their surplus ammunition and improve their security system.
He said that the programme is part of a grant agreement of US$1.7M to facilitate technical assistance and equipment to Guyana, Suriname, Dominica, St Kitts and Barbados. Hardt said that it is also part of a broader agenda with the Caribbean region through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) which assists countries to improve security.
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