This Friday, the National Gun Amnesty program is scheduled to begin.
The gun amnesty period will run for 92 days and conclude on May 31th, 2024.
Speaking on the Police on the Beat Program on NBC radio last night, Assistant Commissioner Police in Charge of Crime Trevor Bailey explained that the gun amnesty give every citizen the opportunity to hand in any illegal firearm or parts to the police without fear of legal repercussions.
Bailey further explained that the police or agent receiving the firearm or part will not ask for personal information.
Bailey also noted that the 2024 gun amnesty is geared at improving citizen security and that citizen security and security of the nation is of paramount importance.
Bailey said that they are looking to rid the streets of all illegal firearms
Bailey said that it was important to hold the amnesty this year because between 2021 to December 31st 2023 SVG has experienced around 130 murders and roughly 80 per cent of the murders were firearm related.
He further added that over 75 per cent of the victims of these crimes were 30 years and under.
Bailey also stated that there is a negative effect on the economy of SVG, because of the negative image of the country on the international scene with regards to the per capita murder rate.
Adding that there is a demand from the population to do something different than they have been doing before.
