🔫 Ballistic hub aids in tracking rent-a-gun crime in Cayman Islands

There are currently 19 guns used in multiple crimes that are still on the streets of the Cayman Islands, according to the police commissioner. Another 66 firearms used in at least one crime have not been recovered. The creation of a forensic ballistic hub has allowed law enforcement to better understand and track the illegal firearms being reused in different crimes, even when the firearms are not seized. The hub enables quick linking of weapons fired at crime scenes, revealing a clear pattern of guns being shared extensively among criminals.🔍

Police Commissioner Kurt Walton indicated that some people are profiting from renting out and sharing guns. Some of the identified firearms have also been linked to serious crimes in Jamaica. The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) is using intelligence to track who is hiding guns after they have been used and where they are being hidden. Walton emphasized the importance of public cooperation in sharing information about the movement and hiding of weapons to get these firearms off the streets.👮‍♂️

So far this year, law enforcement agencies have recovered 19 illegal guns, including handguns, an AK47, and ammunition. Walton, who has spent part of his career in the firearms unit, considers the appetite for guns among young men in Cayman a fundamental problem and a national security threat. The ballistic hub, used by law enforcement agencies across the Caribbean, has been instrumental in painting a picture of illegal firearm use. Walton stressed the importance of focusing on multiple sources and means of firearm transfer, not just Jamaican canoes.🚔