Police ask INTERPOL to help track source of illegal weapons imports
Stabroek News
October 6, 2002
The Guyana Police Force have contacted INTERPOL and other international law enforcement agencies to help track down the source of shipments of weaponry and body armour now being used by criminals.
In addition, Assistant Superintendent of Police David Ramnarine told Stabroek News on Friday, that neighbouring countries had been alerted and there was constant communication, particularly about the movements of criminals.
According to Ramnarine, Guyana’s neighbours had been placed on alert since the Mash Day jailbreak.
“We are hoping that neighbouring countries can provide some reliable information concerning criminal activities... because bandits can move from one country to the other.”
Ramnarine was, at the time, responding to queries on whether the Guyana Police Force would be utilising the services of INTERPOL or the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) to track the source of the arms, ammunition and body armour that are being used by criminals.
Since April, Guyana has seen a new dimension to criminal activities where bandits are using high-powered weaponry. In most of the attacks throughout the country, persons reported that the bandits had been seen wearing bulletproof vests, similar in type to those used by members of the police force.
Ramnarine said, “A lot of concerns are being expressed in relation to the arms and ammunition being used by criminals [and about] where they are coming from. The police are aware and steps are being taken to contact international agencies.”
A recent letter in Stabroek News suggested that the source of body armour could be investigated through either INTERPOL or the FBI, since these crime-fighting organisations had access to large databases which would allow them to identify the likely sources of the shipments.
According to the letter, “there is a finite number of companies which offer these items for sale and this rarely takes place over the counter. It is, therefore, much easier to follow the established paper trail on these purchases.”