The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force has ruled out holding another gun amnesty in the near future, signaling a shift toward tougher enforcement measures as authorities intensify efforts to combat illegal firearms and gun-related violence across the island.
Police Commissioner Verne Garde made the announcement while reflecting on the January 2026 gun amnesty initiative during the RSLPF’s monthly press conference this week.
The gun amnesty, Garde admitted, generated limited public participation and was widely viewed as unsuccessful.
Despite the low response, Garde maintained that the initiative formed part of a broader strategy aimed at reducing violent crime and removing illegal weapons from circulation.
“There must be a vent when we are working to reduce crime. There must be a vent,” the commissioner stated.
Garde pointed to the police force’s recent success in firearm interceptions as evidence that authorities are continuing to make progress in disrupting the flow of illegal weapons.
“Last year, around this time, we intercepted 29 firearms,” he explained. “Last year is the year in the recorded history of the organization where we intercepted the most firearms on record, 115 of them.”
The commissioner suggested that law enforcement had already explored softer approaches to encouraging individuals to surrender illegal weapons voluntarily.
“When we realize now that we have explored all the soft opportunities for them, then we will become a little tighter in regards to what we do,” Garde warned.
He made it clear that another amnesty programme is not currently under consideration.
“There will not be an amnesty any time soon,” he said. “We have explored that opportunity.”
Instead, Garde indicated that the force would now rely more heavily on direct policing operations and targeted interventions to remove firearms from communities.
“So right now we will do police related matters to get the guns off the street,” the commissioner added.