Police armoury audit begins

COPS from the Inspectorate of the Constabulary and auditors from the Ministry of National Security yesterday began their audit of the inventories at the Police Armoury and Stores.

The audit was ordered by Acting Commissioner of Police Owen Ellington after police smashed an arms smuggling ring in East Kingston last Thursday and arrested a police sergeant in the process.

Head of operations in the constabulary, Assistant Commissioner Glenmore Hinds, was tight-lipped about the pace of investigations but said the public would be informed in due course.

"We have done a series of co-ordinated operations since Friday and the investigations are continuing," Hinds said.

On Friday, a deputy superintendent of police was questioned for hours after his home was searched by his colleagues.

However, the senior cop was not taken into custody after he reportedly gave a full account for some weapons which were in his care.

The complete staff complement at the armoury have undergone polygraph tests and have been interrogated by detectives from the Anti-Corruption Branch.

On Friday, the armoury, which is located at the East Kingston Divisional Headquarters at Elletson Road, was scoured for clues by forensics experts.

The police sergeant, two groundsmen who worked at the armoury and a businessman were thrown behind bars after cops raided a house and business place in East Kingston and recovered 19 guns and 10,600 rounds of ammunition.

They were among 11 persons, including three women, who were arrested at a house on Munster Road where the guns were found. The others were questioned and released.

Police were still unable to give a complete breakdown of the guns recovered which includes M16 assault rifles, Uzi sub-machine guns, shotguns, pistols and revolvers.

The sergeant's involvement in the illegal arms trade has brought embarrassment to his colleagues and yesterday a police source said he has been placed in solitary confinement.

"It may be for his own good because a lot of people are hopping mad right now," the source said.

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