Following the passage of the new Firearms (Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation) Act, 2022, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is hosting a hybrid two-day Criminal Investigation Branch Conference at the National Police College of Jamaica in St Catherine.

The conference was set to get under way at 9 am this morning (December 1) and will end tomorrow.

It’s theme is ‘Understanding and Navigating the new Firearms Act, 2022 – Investigative and Prosecutorial Approaches’.

Key to the new Firearms Act 2022, which came into operation on November 1, 2022, was the establishment of tougher penalties for individuals with illegal firearms and those with licensed firearms without appropriate authorisation. These stringent sanctions include a term of imprisonment of 15-25 years for the possession of prohibited weapons, life imprisonment for trafficking, stockpiling and manufacturing in illegal firearms, and life imprisonment for dealing in firearms or ammunition without authorisation.

“The enforcement of the new Firearms Act demonstrates the Government’s motive to deal with the issue of illegal and unauthorised firearms in Jamaica. Understanding the Act will be critical in its enforcement and compliance; as such, the FLA lauds the JCF for their efforts to bring to the forefront a greater level of understanding of the new Act,” said Shane Dalling, CEO of the Firearm Licensing Authority.

Following the 2022 Act, a gun amnesty ran from November 5 through November 19 to allow individuals in breach of these measures to turn in illegal and unauthorised firearms and ammunition without the fear of prosecution.

A total of 101 firearms and 3,000 rounds of ammunition were surrendered under the two-week Gun Amnesty.

Since the official passage of the new Firearms Act, 2022 the Ministry of National Security and its agencies, the FLA and JCF, have been involved in a national campaign to educate the public about the new measures and encourage compliance with the authorities.