by Kevon Browne
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN) – Officers from the Special Services Unit (SSU) and the Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU) in the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force (RSCNPF) recovered another illegal firearm—this time at the Warner Park cricket stadium.
According to a statement from the Police, the weapon was found at the Len Harris Cricket Academy in Warner Park on August 2, 2023, during a joint operation.
“A search of the dome’s interior revealed one Diamond Back P9 9mm semi-automatic pistol along with a magazine containing 12 matching rounds of ammunition.”
The firearm and ammunition were seized by the Police.
No arrest has been made in connection to the illegal weapon. The Police have asked anyone with information about the illegal firearm to contact their nearest police station.
The seizure of the illegal firearm came just a day before the start of St. Kitts’ first-ever hosting of the CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield Tournament, which will be held from August 3 – 13 at Warner Park and The Technical Center in St. Peter’s. St. Kitts and Nevis will be represented by the S L Hosford St. Paul’s United Football Club. The tournament will see 15-club Groups face off against one another in four groups over 11 days.
Police have indicated the seizure of at least seven illegal firearms at abandoned properties in St. Kitts.
The Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Hon. Dr Terrance Drew, has been a proponent of treating violence in St. Kitts and Nevis from a public health standpoint, given the frequency of major crimes – gun-related homicides, human trafficking, drug smuggling, etc. – National Security has implemented several initiatives to deal with the issue including the onboarding of advisor and collaboration with RSS, FBI and DEA.
When asked about the reintroduction of a gun amnesty, the Prime Minister said, “Well, I think the commissioner is actually looking at it, and I think he said that recently or the high comment said that recently. We have to get the guns off the streets; it is very critical. We have made some significant moves recently in National Security – The new Commissioner has come on. Also, we have brought on Dr Powell, who is an advisor, and we have brought on Dr Rawlins as well, who is a National Security Adviser. And let me say that these persons are Kititians. Before, we used to have to look to non-Kittitians to fill these positions… Now we have Kittitians who are so qualified who have basically decided to take the salary hit – because we can’t pay them as much as they are paid in the United States and where they are contracted – but they have decided to come to St. Kitts and Nevis – come home- and give their talent; give the knowledge to our country in order to help us to deal with this.”
A gun amnesty is a non-prosecution period allowing people to surrender unwanted or unregistered firearms without fear of legal repercussions.
