Home Affairs Minister hints at stronger penalties for gun-related crimes

…new $86M Scanning Electron Microscope unveiled

As part of its crime-fighting strategy, the Ministry of Home Affairs is currently having consultations with the Legal Affairs Ministry on increasing the penalties for persons who commit gun-related crimes in the country.
Plans to increase the penalties for gun-related crimes was highlighted by Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn on Wednesday, during the unveiling of the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) at the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory.
Highlighting that gun crimes are steadily increasing, aided by transnational organised activities, the minister said, “I keep saying that we don’t make a bicycle spoke yet in Guyana. We don’t make guns. Now they are 3D printed on computers. The guns are coming from the North and from Europe too, and other places where they make those things; and it’s a great difficulty that we are having in relation to dealing with rising crime, which is driven by transnational issues: the drugs, the money laundering.”

Minister Benn revealed that as part of efforts to tackle this issue, the Home Affairs Ministry would be moving to increase legal sanctions for gun-related crimes.
“We want to advise persons who are involved and are committing crimes, some of them repeatedly; they are not always being caught when they commit some of these crimes. (We want them to know) that we will get to them…and there is an intention to raise the legal sanctions in relation to gun crimes and some other crimes. This is one of the discussions we are having with the Attorney General’s Chambers and the Attorney General and at the level of the Cabinet, to get on top of the situation where we see the reckless use of guns,” Benn declared.
An $86 million Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) has been installed at the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory (GFSL); and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Andre Ally, has noted that, with the use of the new tech, law enforcement officials would now be able to better manage GSR (Gunshot Residue) cases.
“It’s critical, now especially, for us to properly identify, properly investigate, and properly identify evidence and confirm evidence that firearms were used at certain crime scenes,(thereby) bolstering the capacity to detect gunshot residue,” Ally noted, as he added that backlogged cases would also be cleared from the system.
“It has come in a very timely manner, because the lab, we now have a little bit of a buildup of GSR samples, and we will work to ensure that we clear all backlogs and prioritize cases as they come in,” Ally declared.
An SEM – a scanning electron microscope – is a scientific instrument that uses a beam of electrons to create images of a sample’s surface. SEMs are used in many fields, including materials science, forensics, and pharmaceuticals. Scanning electron microscopy is a highly versatile technique used to obtain high-resolution images and detailed surface information of samples. The resolution of SEM instruments can range from one nanometre up to several nanometres.
This new machine is capable of operating 24/7, and has the capacity to analyze 19 samples at a time. Some 5 persons would be trained to operate the new equipment.
As the Government of Guyana works assiduously to improve the investigative capabilities of the Guyana Police Force, stakeholders are gearing up to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) of India to import forensic experts.
Established in 2009 as the Gujarat Forensic Sciences University (GFSU), and later elevated to the NFSU with the status of an Institution of National Importance, it is the world’s first and only university dedicated to forensic sciences, behavioural sciences, cybersecurity, digital forensics, and allied disciplines.
It was established by the Government of India through the Act of 2020 (32 of 2020) with the objective of fulfilling the acute shortage against the increasing demand for forensic experts in the country and around the world.
NFSU is recognized worldwide as a leader in the field of research and education in forensic sciences and allied sciences.