Give PSRA power to issue gun licences
Dear Editor,
Condolence to the family, friends, and work colleagues of slain security officers Brandon Tristan Small and Lincoln Royal. We urge all security officers to be vigilant in this busy season.
The Private Security Regulation Authority (PSRA) legislation is scheduled to be completed next year, and as the founder and president of the Jamaica Association for Private Security (JAPS) I urge legislators to give the PSRA the power to issue guns to security officers for work purposes only. If these officers want a gun for personal use, they would be required to apply to the Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA).
Some may say it’s a crazy idea, but Jamaica is the most murderous country in the world so why can’t security officers be given the right to protect people’s lives and property effectively?
The current board of the PSRA comprises nine board members so we are lobbying the Ministry of National Security to include the following members on the board:
• A retired police officer not below the rank of senior superintendent
• A retired army officer not below the rank of colonel
• A retired director of public prosecutions
• A retired Supreme Court or Court of Appeal justice
• A retired senior civil servant
• A retired board member of the Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA)
• Three people from the private security industry recommended by the Minister of National Security.
Teddylee Gray
Ocho Rios, St Ann
teddylee.gray@gmail.com