Warner: No tears for armed criminals

National Security Minister Jack Warner has advised policemen not to “shed tears for armed criminals.” He was speaking with the media at the Chaguanas Police Station yesterday after inspecting guns and other items seized by police during a weekend raid. “If they come after the police officers, the police officers must go after them,” Warner said.

“The name of the game is self-preservation and once that happens the police have the full support of the Minister of National Security. No armed bandit must feel that he is safe because he is armed. My police officers must go after them and they must feed fire with fire.”

Warner said the guns were recovered from the home of someone who recently moved into the area. He advised landlords to take information on prospective tenants to the police so they could run criminal checks on them before tenancy is finalised.

He praised the policemen, headed by Supt Johnny Abraham, and offered to host the policemen at a dinner at a Chaguanas restaurant on Tuesday with acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan and Justice Minister Herbert Volney. Warner said he intends to take his proposal for a gun amnesty to the National Security Council very soon.

Supt Abraham said police received a call around 3.30 pm on Friday that a robbery was taking place at Dam Road, Longdenville. When they arrived on the scene, they caught three men red-handed. The men fled into the bushes where they met two of their accomplices who then opened fire on the police. The police returned fire and three of the men were shot. Two escaped.

Two of the wounded men were pronounced dead on arrival at the Chaguanas Health Centre, while the other remains under police guard at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex. Abraham said two of the men recently moved to Chaguanas where they rented an apartment. Police recovered two revolvers, one 9 mm pistol, 13 rounds of ammunition, stolen televisions, electronic appliances, computers, and jewelry. Acting on information, police recovered two home-made shotguns at Pranz Gardens and Claxton Bay.