The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe expects a gun amnesty initiative to be introduced next week.

He commented on this after State Minister of Social Services and Urban Development Lisa Rahming revealed during her budget communication that the government would declare a two-week gun amnesty.

He said top police officials are liaising with Minister Rahming and her team at Social Services and Urban Development in order to iron out minor details and it is anticipated that there will be a rollout of this amnesty proposal late next week.

He spoke during an Office of the Prime Minister briefing yesterday.

He said officials hope that with the work of Urban Renewal, the amnesty programme would encourage people to leave a lifestyle that could lead to death.

Mr Munroe also said that since police increased saturation patrols, crime has decreased throughout New Providence.

 “The statistics provided to me by the police report that year to date comparison for the central, northwestern and southern divisions that make up Bain and Grants Town decreased by 15 per cent for central, 44 per cent for northwestern, and seven per cent for southern division and these are crimes that relate to quality of life crimes,” he said.

 “The south-central division experienced a decrease of 16 per cent a year to date. The northeastern division, that includes my constituency of Freetown, has seen a decrease of 38 per cent. And year to date, crime decreases in the Fox Hill division has fallen by 42 per cent and in Carmichael, which represents the largest policing division, that has fallen by 26 per cent.”

 The government recently purchased a fleet of 100 police vehicles. Mr Munroe said police had received the final tranche of cars.