SOCU seizes over 1,000 files from Police Commissioner’s office in probe of firearms issued under Coalition

Investigators from the police’s Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) last week seized about 1,000 files pertaining to the issuance of firearm licences under the Coalition government.
The files were seized from the office of the Police Commissioner, Eve Leary, between Wednesday and Thursday, and would have involved firearm licences granted since 2018.
The new Government, under Irfaan Ali, took office in August and said it found significant breaches when it came to the issuance of firearm licences.

There were suggestions that millions of dollars were being paid for gun licences, a rumor that has been circulating for years now and which involve a major bribery racket.
Under the procedures, applications have to be made to the divisional commander’s office which investigates the background of the applicants.
The applications with the police findings and recommendations are sent to the Commander who then forwards them to the Police Commissioner. The file is then reportedly dispatched to the Firearm Licencing Board for consideration.

Approvals are then forwarded to the Minister’s office for greenlight before it is sent back to the Police Commissioner’s office for issuance of the letter for the licence(s).
According to persons familiar with the investigations, the probe centers on those licences which were issued but were never greenlighted by the Firearm Board.
The licences would have been issued by the various Commissioners of Police and those who performed duties.

“A lot of persons will have to answer including persons who allegedly paid big monies and got licences. There are many cases where persons never went through the application process and were issued with forward licences which are in breach of the laws.”
It was pointed out that there are some cases where security companies were issued multiple licences under questionable circumstances. Several of those weapons ended up in the hands of persons who were not properly vetted and in some cases not even working in the security sector.
There are even evidence of renting of those guns under licences to persons.

“There is a serious and continuous breach of the Firearms Act by the Commissioner’s office in usurping the legal authority of the Divisional Commanders and issuing firearm licences when the office of the Commissioner has no such authority,” one official told Kaieteur News.
Already, according to a senior Ministry of Home Affairs official, a review of the firearm licences’ process is being planned to ensure that the process is protected.