Weapons amnesty aims to put police ‘ahead of the game’
Instruments designed to inflict harm that have been removed from the public in other countries but not yet seized by law enforcers in Bermuda are included in the items covered by a weapons amnesty that begins tomorrow, The Royal Gazette was told.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Martin Weekes provided further details about the mechanics of the monthlong campaign to help make the island’s streets safer.
He highlighted that the drive will be launched as a proactive approach to reduce the number of “dangerous items” in circulation.
Mr Weekes said that some of the items on a list of weapons forbidden by law from possession have not been seized from people in Bermuda.
He explained that under the Criminal Code (Prohibited Weapons) Order 1980, there are 11 items listed as “prohibited” and a further eight are due to be added.
“It includes a mix of what is being found here, what we’ve taken off of people here and also where they were taken off people in other jurisdictions,” Mr Weekes said.
He added: “It’s the kind of things that we are seeing in those jurisdictions but we want to get ahead of the game and stop the import as well.”
Mr Weekes said he was optimistic that the public will co-operate and hand in the weapons.
Under the amnesty, which runs from tomorrow until December 17, prohibited items can be deposited in any of the safely secured bins that will placed outside the police stations at St David’s, Somerset and Hamilton.
Receptacles will be placed outside Gorham’s and another will be placed at Warwick Camp.
While the prohibited weapons list features mainly knives and items used in martial arts, Mr Weekes said firearms and ammunition can be surrendered, but he urged the public not to place those in the bins.
Items that are listed as prohibited and are unlawful to carry in a public place include:
• Finger-ring knife that has one or more blades or sharp objects
• Flick knife or gravity knife, sometimes known as a “kubatan”
• Knife with a fixed blade or a folding knife with a cutting edge more than 3in in width
• Weapon sometimes known as a “manrikigusari” or “kusari” — a length of rope, cord or chain fasted at each end with a weight or hand grip
• Spiked wristband
• Crossbow or catapult
• Weapon sometimes known as a “shuriken” — a hard plate with three or more sharp-edged points, designed to be thrown
• Weapon sometimes called a “constant companion” — belt containing concealed stainless steel knife or similar item
• Weapon known as a “swordstick” — a hollow cane or walking stick containing a metal blade that can be drawn or shot out and used as a sword or knife
• Weapon sometimes called a “yaqua blowgun” and any other tube or pipe from which arrows or darts are shot by breath
• Weapon sometimes known as a “cobra baton” and any other baton having a spring-loaded telescopic steel shaft
Items expected to be added to the prohibited list of weapons:
• Extendable friction lock baton
• Weapon known as a “kubotan” — a keychain-style weapon
• Knife where the blade has a plain cutting edge, a serrated spine and is at least 8in long
• Weapon called a “cyclone knife” or “spiral knife”, where the blade is designed in a spiral
• Weapon sometimes called a “push dagger”, which has a T-shaped handle
• Knife with holes in the blade or the handle large enough to allow fingers to support its use
• Weapon called a “balisong” or “butterfly knife” — a blade with two moving handles
• Disguised knife such as one designed to look like an everyday object
• Knuckle-duster
• Weapon sometimes called a “zombie knife” or “zombie machete”, which has a long blade and usually a serrated cutting edge
He said: “If someone wants to surrender a firearm, they can still do that.
“They can call the police on 211 and tell us they are bringing it in, so that we know they are on the way or we can go to them and collect it. But they can’t be putting them into one of these plastic bins; that obviously would be dangerous.”
Surrendering an item under the amnesty does not automatically remove liability for related offences, and if someone is unsure of the implications of submitting a weapon, they are urged to seek legal advice.
Mr Weekes added: “The amnesty is about being in possession of a weapon; it’s not about what it’s being used for or anything else.
“We will, of course, forensically examine any gun or any weapon which we think may have been involved in a crime.”
He said the police do not expect “the average gang member” to visit a police station and hand over a gun.
“It’s more likely that somebody else outside of the gang fraternity who comes across a weapon would do that.”
He expressed optimism that the public will respond positively to the amnesty and added: “We’ll definitely get some stuff turned in; how much, we don’t know. But one weapon off the street is a success, so the more we get the better.
“Some of it will be things that people own that will become prohibited and others will be stuff that were on the previous list.”
During a town hall meeting at Penno’s Wharf in St George’s last week, Commissioner of Police Darrin Simons highlighted that it was important to “provide the opportunity to the community” to surrender prohibited weapons.
He said that the addition of another eight items to the list was the result of a rise in the number of incidents that involved bladed items.
Mr Weekes said on Friday that some of the weapons on the list could have been brought to the island by people “who got lucky and didn’t get searched” at the airport.
He added that because the items were not perceived as illegal, residents may have got them here and possibly displayed them.
Mr Weekes said: “But once it becomes a prohibited weapon, that makes it a little different.”
He noted that the campaign could be seen as a “low-risk” method of getting people to dispose of items that are “clearly dangerous and prohibited”.
A joint release from the Office of the Governor, the Ministry of National Security and the Bermuda Police Service said that no personal details will be required of residents when they surrender a prohibited or offensive weapon during the amnesty period.
In addition, any businesses that hold items deemed prohibited — such as those for display or for historic reasons — were urged to contact the police on 211 to arrange safe surrender if large quantities were involved.
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