GANGSTERS IN Trinidad and Tobago and other Caribbean countries are using larger calibre weapons, a new United States Security Council report has revealed.
The report stated that those weapons are “resulting in more damage and posing a greater challenge to the police.”
Gunmen are “becoming more brazen,” the report added.
“You have some who are so bold as to walk up to an individual, put a gun to their head and walk away,” the report quoted Michael Jones, executive director at an implementation agency on crime, as saying.
Jones said gangs are “franchising” across the Caribbean.
He said gunmen sometimes travel to a certain island to commit a crime, and then leave.
He added that gangsters are preying on young people, because they lack opportunities.
The report stated that there has been an increase in killings in the Caribbean fuelled by guns imported from the United States.
In some countries, the homicides have reached record levels.
US Senator Chris Murphy was quoted as saying that Caribbean islands account for half of the world’s top 10 highest national murder rate countries.
It was noted that Caribbean countries do not manufacture firearms and ammunition nor do they import them on a large scale.
Most of the guns seized in T&T and other Caribbean countries were handguns, followed by semi-automatic pistols, according to the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Some of the seized firearms were submitted to the US agency.
The Security Council said that arms trafficking continues despite the strengthening of embargo measures.
T&T and some other Caribbean countries have anti-gang legislation.
US Attorney General Letitia James said: “American-made guns are flowing into Caribbean countries and communities and fuelling violence, chaos, and senseless tragedies throughout the region.”
The US has appointed its first coordinator for Caribbean firearms prosecution to help limit smuggling into T&T and other Caribbean islands.
Gun-related murders and other forms of violence are continuing to spike in T&T, facilitated by open borders that make it easy to transport illegal guns and drugs.
The US Department of State has consistently advised that country’s nationals to “reconsider travel” to T&T.
Travellers are urged to “exercise increased caution” while in T&T.
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