FLA to enforce proper use of force by licensed firearm holders
CAPTAIN CLEVELAND Crooks, director of compliance and enforcement at the Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA), has said that the organisation will be taking urgent steps to address the improper use of force by licensed firearm holders.
The announcement was made in the wake of two incidents in western Jamaica on Friday in which licensed firearm holders reportedly used their guns improperly.
In one incident, Jean Mathieu, a 37-year-old Canadian national who was based in Kingston, was fatally shot dead in Negril. In the second incident, David Brown, the councillor for the Montego Bay West division, was arrested after he allegedly gun-butted a senior citizen.
“The use-of-force policy is something that we are going to be serious about,” said Crooks in an interview with The Gleaner. “Our trainers are competent individuals and they know the training that should be given to individuals. We will be assessing the training right across the board.”
According to Crooks, the FLA’s enforcement team has been monitoring some of the activities involving licensed firearm holders to get a clearer picture of how they have been handling their responsibilities.
“In recent times, we have been seeing persons (licensed firearm holders) having their differences [or conflicts] and their first action is to resort to the firearm. It always ends up in a situation where someone is injured or a life is lost,” said Crooks.
“The authority is looking at [this situation] seriously and will take a certain approach to stem this sort of behaviour by the general public,” added Crooks.
In the Negril incident, which occurred during a Dream Weekend party at Cayenne Beach, Mathieu was shot dead when he reportedly pulled his firearm on a security guard, who managed to fire first. Mathieu was later pronounced dead at hospital.
In the other incident, Brown reportedly used his firearm to assault a 65-year-old man along Union Street in Montego Bay, shortly after 4 p.m. The police were alerted and Brown, who is believed to be in his mid-20s, was taken into custody.