No undeclared firearms have entered the country recently, the Minister for Home Affairs Mitcy Larue told Assembly members yesterday morning, but she stated that an internal investigation is being conducted to determine what really happened and once this is completed the Assembly will be informed of the findings.
This was in answer to a private notice question asked by the leader of the opposition Wavel Ramkalawan who also wanted to know the owner of the said arms, the procedures to follow when foreigners enter the country with firearms as well as under which conditions foreigners are given permission to enter the country with firearms.
Minister Larue stated that the arms in question belonged to the personnel security of His Highness the Emir of Qatar. With regard to arrangements and procedures in place for foreigners to bring firearms in the country, Minister Larue said authorisation and permission in writing should be sought from the Commissioner of Police and there are procedures in place to follow.
“In this particular case a request was received from the Department of Foreign Affairs and was forwarded to the Commissioner of Police who circulated copies to the head of response tactical support services and the head of the airport police who then informed its security and customs,” Minister Larue informed members, noting that all the above mentioned parties work together to verify and inspect the arms before a related form with all the necessary information is countersigned by all.
Minister Larue stressed that these procedures apply both on entry and when the arms leave our country.
Minister Larue reiterated that all foreigners have to apply for authorisation and permission before bringing any arms in the country. But Minister Larue also noted that not all foreigners visiting our country request for authorisation to bring in firearms or are granted permission to bring in firearms.
Minister Larue stated that VVIP and VIP, namely visiting heads of state and other dignitaries who come with their security, submit their requests through the Department of Foreign Affairs in line with international norms and standards as well as the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations but again she stressed that procedures in place need to be adhered to and respected and security officers and other concerned parties should always be vigilant and proactive to ensure these are respected.
In a supplementary question Mr Ramkalawan informed Minister Larue that as the situation is the police do not have time to conduct any verification or follow the said procedures as the security officers did not allow them the time to do so because they leave the airport hastily to board waiting vehicles as soon as they got off the plane and rush to board the plane on departure without leaving the police time to do their work.
He insisted that as long as this kind of situation continues, the police and security officers will not be able to carry out any inspection as they should because they are being prevented from doing so and to add to that some of the mentioned VVIPs are rushed to their vehicles without having their passports checked and stamped and going through proper immigration procedures.
Minister Larue stressed that according to records on March 8, out of nine fire arms which were expected to enter the country only seven were listed on entry but from that only four were verified before leaving the airport and it was the responsibility of the airport security officers as well as the police to ensure all the necessary checks and procedures were followed both on entry and departure.
Minister Larue noted that on departure there were firearms which were not verified and the foreign security boarded the plane without some of the arms being checked as per procedures.
“There was a breakdown and our officers did not carry out their duty but they should have informed the commissioner of police and airport management of the situation and the necessary measures would have been taken to hold back the plane and prevent it from leaving until the right procedures would have been carried out.
“It is unfortunate but not one single call was made to inform the commissioner of police nor the airport management that there was a problem but they all stayed quiet and this is a great lapse which needs to be urgently addressed. It is unacceptable that it was only 24 hours later that they informed concerned authorities of the incident. They are there to protect our country’s and people’s security and they need to do their work responsibly and should be accountable for their action,” Minister Larue stressed.
Minister Larue admitted that there was serious negligence on the part of the officers concerned and an internal investigation is being conducted to shed light on the incident and determine what really happened and how to prevent a repeat of such cases.
Consultation meetings have already taken place with concerned parties namely SCAA, Department of Foreign Affairs among others to review norms and regulations in place and further strengthen them so that they meet the pressing demands of present day realities.
Minister Larue said the Department of Foreign Affairs has also started an exercise to brief countries with which we have cooperation on regulations and norms to be followed here just like any other countries.
She said once the investigation is complete she will return to the Assembly to inform members of the findings.
With regard to VVIP VIP services, Minister Larue informed the Assembly that there is an immigration service for them like is the case in other countries.
