Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee speaking with the media
The Home Affairs Ministry has appointed three persons to sit on the Firearms Licence Approval Board, minister with the portfolio Clement Rohee announced on February 3.
The three persons appointed are Peter De Groot, Cecil Kilkenny and Dr Bhiro Harry. According to Rohee, the move to have the persons appointed to the newly-established board follows recommendations made by the Disciplined Forces Commission in May 2004.
Last year, Minister Rohee tabled an amendment to the Firearms Act so as to ensure that there are changes with respect to the granting of firearm licences to those desirous of same.
The three appointees are tasked with reviewing all applications received from the commissioner of police for the granting of a firearm licence, along with the registration of firearm dealers under Sections 18 and 24 of the act.
The board will function for one year and has been in place since January 1.
Those applying for a firearm licence would make an application to the commander of the division or the station district to which the person lives. The application would then be processed by the commander of that division, who would then after the completion of the processing, pass the application on to the police commissioner, who would then forward same to the Firearms Approval Board.
The board would then submit its approvals to the home affairs minister, who will make his views known.
Thereafter, that information would be returned to the commissioner for the administrative aspect to be instituted.
Accordingly, Rohee added that it was the view of the commission (the Discipline Forces Commission) that changes be made to ensure that the process is more transparent and done to the satisfaction of the applicant.
“… so the establishment of this board is an assurance and the fulfillment of a recommendation of the Discipline Forces Commission report known as the ‘Chang Report’ that went to the Parliament and is now being established.”
In 2010, the Home Affairs Ministry moved to streamline the issuance of gun licence approval. The Disciplined Forces report recommended that “the Minister of Home Affairs should utilise his statutory powers under the Firearms Act to make standard and uniform regulations with regard to firearm licensing”.
The report of 2004 said “regulatory amendments to the Firearms Act should be introduced in order to bolster supervisory control over divisional commanders who grant firearm licences in keeping with the general objective of the Guyana Police Force Standing Order 91/ 64”.
Additionally, the report said that the commissioner of police should continue to have strict supervision and control over divisional commanders with regard to the granting of firearm licences and that the Guyana Police Force should adhere strictly to the statutory criteria for the granting of firearm licences.
