Govt mulls stripping licensing power from Police

Given the recent controversy surrounding outgoing Police Chief Seelall Persaud issuing himself a gun licence, the Government is now actively reviewing the current regulations governing the issuance of these licences.
Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan told the media at a press conference on Monday that serious consideration was being given to the matter, but said

certain steps would have to be followed first.
“We are giving that serious consideration as we speak. It has been a situational problematic that have caused of recent times.”
Ramjattan said, “I had really thought that there were regulations already made that it has to come to the Ministry (of Public Security)”, as he explained that he did not have a recent edition of the regulations.
Nevertheless, the Minister promised to check on it. He said if the conditions were set out there, he would seek the advice of Attorney General Basil Williams on the matter.
“…then we will have to go back to the Parliament,” he said, further explaining that most likely, whatever amendments that have to be made would be done to the regulations and not the Police Act.
The authority to grant firearm licences and licences for gun dealers falls under the remit of the Police Commissioner, who, upon receiving an application, forwards it to the relevant Policing Division for an investigation into the background and character of the applicant.
Based on the findings of the probe, the Commissioner makes a recommendation to the Minister, who then forwards it to the Firearms Licensing Approval Board for

review.
The Board will then make its own recommendations to the Minister, and based on that or his own deliberate judgement, the Minister grants the licence.
But Ramjattan had claimed that Persaud did not follow the procedures; hence, his reason for revoking the approval of a firearm dealer licence, which Persaud granted himself last month.
It was reported in the State’s newspaper that Persaud on January 29, 2018 responded to an application previously made in his name, approving his business – Professional Outdoors Supplies – as a registered firearms dealer.
Reports revealed that the outgoing Top Cop three days earlier granted himself approval for two gun licences for a 9mm Pistol and a 12, 16 or 20-Gauge Pump Action Shotgun.
However, it was reported that the matter reached and engaged Cabinet’s attention and Persaud was since instructed by Vice President and Minister Ramjattan to revoke the dealership licence.
However, Persaud said there was nothing wrong with him applying to himself and then approving his own licence. In fact, he noted that this was done before.
“In the 1980s, there was a Commissioner who granted himself dealership licence … There is precedence for it … something is wrong with this Commissioner that they tell the public that it was wrong,” he said.
Asked whether it was ethical for him to make this move just a few weeks before his retirement, he pointed out that the business would have only become operationalised in May, after his retirement.
Persaud went on to point out that almost all past Commissioners of Police applied for and grant gun licences to themselves.
“If you look historically over the past 25 years, all the past Commissioners, maybe with the exception of one, granted themselves firearm licences. So it’s not anything new, but you know we live in a society today where one set of circumstances is good for one person, but not good for the other,” he posited.
Nonetheless, Persaud said he would not be challenging the decision to revoke his licence, as he has since become discouraged with the idea of opening his own firearms dealership. (Samuel Sukhnandan)