125,000 weapons were destroyed

More than 125,000 weapons were destroyed in a smelting operation at the Caribbean Cement Company Ltd. yesterday, as the Government intensified its efforts to rid the country of illegal weapons.
The weapons, weighing half a tonne, comprised an assortment of pistols, rifles and high-powered guns.
According to Deputy Commis-sioner of Police Jevene Bent, the weapons included those that have been in storage from as far back as the 1950s, illegal guns seized by the police and defective police firearms that cannot be repaired.
"We've seized guns and we would have taken these before the courts. We also have guns that belonged to citizens but were left with the police for safekeeping and have not been collected," she said. "We would have done advertisements in the paper for them to be collected and, if they aren't after a period of time, then we dispose of them."
Minister of National Security Derrick Smith said yesterday's operation was the first of a series to be carried out.
"The capacity here couldn't take all (weapons) that we currently have in storage so there will be other occasions like this in the near future."
He said defective MP5 submachine guns were not among the lot that was burned.
"A representative from the constabulary force went to Pakistan to reorder, and sending back those 1,000 defective MP5s will take place once the new ones have arrived here."
According to information from the Constabulary Communication Network, 70 guns were seized in March, 61 in August and 61 as at the 30th of December.
In total, the police seized more than 630 guns in 2007.