Police say January has produced a high number of gun seizures in Belize City. Could mean that there are more guns in the town - and thus more to seize, but for police it tells them that there are more guns off the street and they say it's all because of the community's help. We got a look at these guns today and what we found surprised us.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
You might not know by looking at it but this is a home made gun, a shotgun really - made with a bicycle frame and a few pieces of PVC pipe. It fires real 12 gauge cartridges. Ingenious and alarming, but even more alarming is the fact that these weapons were found in schools.
Supt. Edward Broaster,
"This is no baby in the backyard playing so these are serious matters. We need parents to look out with their children with a galvanized pipes and bicycle frames because those are the materials that these young people are using to make their homemade handguns."
Sr. Supt. Allan Whylie,
"We're asking parents to be on the lookout for their kids who are playing around with those sort of things because it can be used for those purposes."
Supt. Edward Broaster,
"The other thing with the homemade hand guns that parents need to realize is the fact that, and children, or those persons who are manufacturing these handguns need to realize that the penalty for these handguns are similar to the real thing."
And while the homemade shotguns are on thing - in the past month police have also gotten these - a mini armory of high powered rifles, handguns and even an old shotgun. There are.22 and.32 pistols, a 38 revolver, and a Glock nine-millimeter pistol. There are also assault rifles, including an ak47, and an ar-15 along with a stash of live.223 rounds - all these taken off the street in just the past week but which streets?
Sr. Supt. Allan Whylie,
"I would not want to say where we found the various weapons."
Why the needless mystery?
Jules Vasquez,
Do you feel that it is necessary to share the information of where weapons are found or where drugs are found so that the community can be aware of what is happening in its midst?
Sr. Supt. Allan Whylie,
"I don't believe that it would assist in terms of identifying the location where these weapons were found and drugs are found. We all know where we live, we all know there are drugs within Belize - that is an acceptance. So I don't think anything useful would be gained by saying we found it here and we found it there."
So while the community is left to wonder, only the criminals who deal in weaponry know where they were found.
Police also found 37 pounds of marijuana stuffed into three plastic bags in an open lot near the Bel-China Bridge. This was along with one of the assault rifles. It has been labeled as found property and will be destroyed.
