BREAKING: More than 150 guns missing from police force armory

L-R Former Security Minister, Former Commissioner James, Former DC Ops Graham

An ongoing audit of the Guyana Police Force has found that more than one hundred and fifty guns which were left in the care of the police are missing.

BIG Smith News Watch has been informed that the missing weapons include those that were lodged with the force by members of the public for safe keeping along with others which were seized from criminals and form part of exhibits in court matters.

This publication has been told that in the case of the weapons which were being kept as exhibits, most of those cases were already either dismissed or sentences passed. This suggests collusion between elements within the force and those in the prosecutorial arm of the force.

As for weapons lodged for safe keeping, there are cases where persons who are leaving the country would lodged their weapons at various police stations and after a while those weapons are sent to the Tactical Service Unit where they are lodged and stored until the return of those persons.

According to the evidence being unearthed in the audit, the weapons missing, represent period starting from 2018. There is the feeling by those within the force that the actual number of weapons gone missing could amount to way more than 150.

In many instances, persons who return for their weapons were either told to come back or that their weapons cannot be found.

This publication is on record as questioning former Commissioner of Police Leslie James, Former Crime Chief Michael Kingston and Former Deputy Commissioner Maxine Graham publicly in November 2018 and again in 2019 about audits for the safe keeping of firearms.

We had specifically questioned the named officers about amount of weapons seized by the force in various operations over a period of time but the answer to those questions were never forthcoming.

A commitment made by then Commissioner of Police Leslie James to make the information available to this publication was never honured either.

The weapons which are unaccounted for are said to be small arms, according to multiple police sources.