Acting Commissioner of Police Trevor “Buju” Bailey says police have recovered three firearms linked to a series of recent shootings, as part of what he describes as a more visible, intelligence‑driven crackdown on gun crime in Kingstown and other hotspots.
Responding on Thursday to questions about what is happening “as of today” to confront gun violence, Bailey said the weapons were seized in connection with separate incidents in Middle Street, Grenadines Wharf and Chateaubelair over the weekend.
In the Middle Street shooting on Friday, a young woman was injured at a business place and treated for a wound to her left hand.
During that incident, police recovered a firearm and later charged Raheim Williams with wounding, using a firearm to aid in the commission of an offence, possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition.
At the Grenadines Wharf early on Saturday, another young woman received a gunshot injury to her back and remained a patient at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital MCHM), with serious internal injuries.
Police recovered a firearm in that matter as well, and launched an investigation that he said is now “connecting the dots”, with ballistic comparisons under way.
In Chateaubelair, Bailey said a man suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was in a critical condition at MCMH.
A firearm was also recovered in connection with that case, and investigations are ongoing.
“Whilst you would have heard of all of the shooting incidents, you didn’t know that the police have recovered three weapons that are associated one way or the other in those matters, and we are doing what we have to do from our end with regards to the investigation of those matters,” Bailey told reporters.
He said the recovered guns are being subjected to the “necessary ballistic comparison” as investigators try to determine whether they are connected to other unsolved crimes.
Zoned patrols and heavier police presence in Kingstown
Bailey linked the recent seizures to a wider operational shift in the capital in response to a noticeable rise in gun use.
He said that over the last two months there have been several incidents involving guns in Kingstown.
As of Tuesday, he said, residents and visitors should have observed more visible police patrols across the city.
The acting police chief said the top management of the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force met and divided the capital into zones, assigning specific patrol routes to officers.
He confirmed that officers deployed on the streets are armed and said the public should not be alarmed by the sight of firearms, arguing that police face a “direct threat from the criminal elements among us” and must be properly equipped.
“We will not surrender any of our territory,” Bailey said, adding that the officers put out to protect lives “themselves are protected”.
New forensic equipment and regional support
Bailey said the force is now using newly acquired equipment that allows investigators to make “a direct correlation” between firearms and multiple crimes, by uploading impressions from crime scenes and analysing them in “a more scientific manner”.
He reminded the media that some officers had been sent for additional forensic training and have since returned to the force, where their skills are now being used.
He said he expects “to see fruits of our labour being borne in the not too distant future” as these tools and skills are applied.
Beyond domestic capabilities, Bailey pointed to local, regional and international partnerships as critical to slowing the flow of illegal guns into the country and solving gun crimes.
Locally, he said, the police work closely with the Customs and Excise Department, Port Authority and Immigration Department.
While customs is widely regarded as a revenue‑collecting agency, he noted that it also has “responsibility of security”, since all cargo enters the country through its control and is held in port facilities before reaching the public.
Regionally, Bailey cited cooperation with bodies such as the Regional Security System (RSS) and CARICOM agencies, from which he said the force receives “vital intelligence”.
Internationally, he highlighted the reliance on overseas forensic laboratories because SVG does not yet have its own, and said the police are building links with “friendly states” in the region to speed up DNA and ballistic work.
“We will continue to strengthen these partnerships,” he said, adding that access to additional regional labs should reduce the long waiting periods that have historically hampered some investigations.
‘You will see us, you may feel us’
Bailey warned the public that the expanded operations in Kingstown and beyond may sometimes interrupt daily routines, but insisted that any inconvenience is not intended to be punitive.
“You will see [us]. You have started seeing [us]. You will feel us,” he said, referring to increased stops, searches and operations.
“You may experience a bit of [disruption]. Sometimes your daily operation may be interrupted. Know that interruption is not deliberate or malicious, but it is one that is targeted”.
He appealed to Vincentians to maintain trust in the police, stressing that the leadership “will not tolerate incidents of abuse” by officers, adding that the force cannot ask the public to partner with it and then treat people or their property with disrespect.
Outlining his expectations for officers executing search warrants, Bailey said they must identify themselves properly, read the warrant before beginning a search, and show care for people’s homes and belongings.
“I don’t want them to go, and if they have to forcibly enter a property because someone didn’t open the door and you get upset, from the time you reach on the inside you do not really want force to the court,” he said.
Instead, he called for officers to avoid unnecessarily trampling or destroying property, and to leave clear signs that they respect citizens’ rights and dignity.
If officers do these “simple things”, Bailey argued, the number of complaints and the hostility toward police from some quarters would decline, improving cooperation at a time when public support is vital.
‘Our war is with those who are criminally minded’
Bailey repeatedly stressed that the police are not at war with law‑abiding citizens, but with those who are “criminally minded” and benefiting from gun violence.
“We ask for a partnership, and we recognise that among us there are those who are criminally minded. Our war is with them, not with you, the law‑abiding citizens of St Vincent and the Grenadines”.
He acknowledged that some in communities may benefit directly from criminal activity and may try to resist police efforts because they are “protecting their meal”.
But he said the force “means no harm” to the wider community, and is seeking to rid the country of criminality and gun violence.
Bailey again urged citizens to share information with the police: “If you see something, say something to us, and we will respond,” he said.
“We will do that which we have to do to rid St. Vincent and the Grenadines of criminality and gun violence.”