DISCOVERY BAY, St Ann — It now takes about a minute for the Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA) to know if individuals applying for firearms are criminals or not, according to CEO Shane Dalling.

“We have improved our security infrastructure in the criminal records office where the individual coming in for applications, as well as renewal, are fingerprinted and we know the results of their criminal backgrounds in one minute. Therefore we are able to decipher between the good and the bad at the point of the application we receive at the FLA,” he said, adding that the authority will be working closely with the Criminal Investigations Branch of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) to provide a more effective service.

Dalling was speaking at Friday’s official opening of the FLA’s northern regional office in Discovery Bay, St Ann.

“We have had to wait for a criminal report that sometimes takes three to six months to be received by the FLA so this is a vast improvement,” he noted.

Earlier this year the beleaguered licensing body made headlines for weeks, after Dalling called a press conference to address accusations he said were being levelled at him in relation to the approval and rejection of firearm licences. He accused former FLA chairman, Dennis Meadows of being behind social media posts that questioned his integrity.

The rhetoric ratcheted up a notch when the Integrity Commission released a damning report in which it suggested that Meadows could face charges for his role in the granting of a firearms licence to a relative.

The commission also concluded that while he was the minister in charge of the FLA, the Opposition People’s National Party’s Peter Bunting gave approval for the granting of firearm licences to two individuals with criminal traces. Bunting served as security minister between 2012 and 2016.

The special report covered the period 2016 to 2018 and found that another former national security minister, the Jamaica Labour Party’s Robert Montague, knowingly granted firearm permits to six people with criminal traces while he was minister between 2016 and 2018.

Montague subsequently resigned from his job as minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation and has insisted that he did nothing wrong. Bunting, who is the Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate and PNP spokesman on national security, refused to tender his resignation on the ground that he, too, did nothing wrong.

On Friday, Dalling cited the reduced wait time for background checks among recently made major improvements in the FLA’s efforts to determine the eligibility of applicants.

Speaking during the event, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Dr Horace Chang stressed the importance of the FLA’s duty to ensure that only those with clean slates are granted gun licences.

“The FLA will ensure that those who seek to acquire a firearm are law-abiding citizens that want to protect themselves or are involved in sporting activities such as bird shooting. Once any man is found with an illegal gun we will ensure that we put them away for a very long time, as these guns can’t be used for anything good but to take the lives of Jamaicans. Illegal firearm is the greatest threat to our society today so we have to send a message that this form of behaviour will not be tolerated,” said Chang.

Assistant commissioner of police for Area Two, Calvin Allen spoke of the important role the FLA plays in the fight against crime.

“This entity is vital in the safety and security of our citizens. We recognise the enormous responsibility of this entity and we are aware of the effects of the handling of the firearm. More stringent control of firearm commerce is evident as the FLA continues to strengthen and tighten the entire process as they regulate with purpose,” he said. “Therefore the FLA will remain that vital entity in our continued fight against criminal elements as we seek to make our county safe.”

The Discovery Bay office is the fourth to be established since the FLA’s inception in 2006. Dalling explained that it will serve residents of Falmouth, Trelawny, St Ann and St Mary who previously had to travel to either Kingston or Montego Bay.

“As a part of national security we must offer security, privacy and convenience to our stakeholders,” he said.

FLA chairman, retired Colonel Audley Carter assured that the services provided by the Discovery Bay office will be on par with that offered at other locations. He also urged employees to maintain their integrity at all times.

“Don’t be tempted to lose your integrity because of a small level of remuneration but, more so, count your blessings. Be reminded that when you do wrong you don’t just let down yourself but also your team members when you allow yourself to fall,” he urged.