00:00We are confident that, again, slowly but surely, we would see a turnaround in the crime situation
00:06as we seek to make that in-your-face policing something that at least the criminals must
00:12know that the police is here and that we are here to bring back law and order in the land.
00:17The Deputy Commissioner of Police in Charge of Operations, Junior Benjamin, speaking on
00:21Monday after a series of roadblock exercises were carried out by the police last week in
00:26keeping with the recent intensification of the war on gangs declared by Police Commissioner
00:32Lula Hayward-Christopher.
00:33DCP Benjamin addressed a media conference chaired by National Security Minister Fitzgerald
00:39Hines.
00:40For the period the 14th of July to the 21st of July, we have had at least 569 exercises.
00:52We had at least 263 persons arrested, 15 firearms were seized.
01:00Of these 15, at least three of them are what is known as AR-15s or automatic rifles.
01:10DCP Benjamin said 604 rounds of ammunition were also seized in addition to other illicit
01:17items.
01:18TV6 News posed the question about that in the context of the kind of large seizure of
01:23guns and ammunition carried out by the police last year.
01:28Is that something that we could as a society look forward to seeing more of apart from
01:34what the numbers that you would have announced in the roadblocks, larger seizures of illegal
01:40guns and ammunition?
01:43We would love to see that.
01:44We would certainly love to see that.
01:45However, we continue working with the intelligence that we have and we allow the intelligence
01:52to guide our operations.
01:54So we are not going to be emotional, we are not going to be moved by what people are saying.
01:59We are going to allow the data to speak to us.
02:02National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hines said the recent increase in police activity
02:07is occurring in tandem with the increased assistance of the Defence Force and the recent
02:12searches in the prisons carried out by the Prison Service.
02:17Persons within recent weeks have directed my attention, months actually, directed my
02:22attention to what is happening in the state of El Salvador for an example, where the President,
02:28I think Borselli is his name, built a properly designed prison facility.
02:35And it is said, I don't know on the ground, but it is said that the only crime you have
02:41to commit to find yourself in there is a suggestion by a neighbour, a suggestion by
02:47law enforcement or the army that you have committed some crime or you probably is a
02:53member of a gang and you have the appropriate tattoos and so on.
02:57And that can get you put in there for the rest of time.
03:01The BBC reported the popularity of the President of El Salvador has soared following a crackdown
03:06on crime there, which drove down the South American's level of murders, but he has also
03:13faced serious criticisms of human rights abuses.
03:18That is anathema to our democratic traditions and matters like that, as I say, could be
03:23quite outrageous.
03:24However appealing it may seem to him and no doubt others, it is outrageous in the context
03:31of the very stable, democratic, civilized operation that we do here.
03:37So when I'm told that we must do something, I give the assurance that we do.
03:42As for those critical of his performance as National Security Minister and whether he
03:46should step down from the job, Mr. Hinds has said the public is free to have their opinions.
03:52Jule Brown, TV6 News.
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