Senior officer admits gun control is lacking

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Deputy Commissioner of Police, Joseph Hughes has agreed that the police ought to do a better job at curbing gun violence.
During an interview with OBSERVER media, yesterday, Hughes said crimes involving illegal guns continue to create a great deal of uneasiness in communities.
“It tends to send a different type of shockwave and psychological trauma to the rest of society and gun violence is something we need to stamp out,” the deputy commissioner of police said.
He noted that crimes, especially murders, that are committed with guns create fear in people, forcing them to be less outgoing.
Hughes said gun crimes impact on the economy because people spend less money when they are at home for fear of becoming the next victim, as opposed to when they are out socialising.
“Once people stay home, it tends to contract the economy because small businesses cannot function because they have no customers. So, it is important for us to get on top of things and we are trying our best. I know there are some [people] who are saying we are not doing enough and we are trying as hard as we can, in terms of our investigation,” he said.
The senior officer said he can accept the emotional basis of the criticism, bearing in mind that people would want justice for a loved one or someone they know who has been murdered.
Hughes continued to encourage anyone with information about any crime to report it to the nearest police station.
He noted that strengthening relationships with the police and public continues to be paramount in crime fighting strategies.
“I know that somebody might be listening or viewing and saying ‘well, there is a trust issue’, but I am sure that there is somebody in the police force out of the 700 plus officers, that you should be able to communicate with to provide the information,” he added.

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