Acting Deputy Police Chief Says Illegal Guns Enter SVG Through Multiple Routes 

By Admin. Updated 7:00 a.m., Monday, July 27, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4). 

Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police Trevor Bailey says illegal firearms continue to enter St Vincent and the Grenadines through multiple channels, including concealed within imported goods and by sea, as he called for a stronger national response to combat violent crime.

Bailey made the remarks during an interview with lawyer and journalist Jomo Thomas on Voices, aired last Wednesday (July 22) on WEFM 99.9 FM.

Describing firearms as the weapon most commonly used in serious crimes, Bailey stressed that addressing the problem cannot be left solely to the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF).

“The response has to come from an entire nation, spearheaded by the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force, because we are the ones ultimately who are charged with that responsibility,” he said.

Bailey noted that St Vincent and the Grenadines does not manufacture firearms, meaning they must be brought into the country from elsewhere.

“I was not aware that St Vincent and the Grenadines has a factory that produces firearms,” he remarked.

He said agencies responsible for border security, including Customs and the St Vincent and the Grenadines Port Authority, have an important role alongside the police in preventing illegal weapons from entering the country.

Bailey’s comments prompted Thomas to ask whether police intelligence specifically indicated that firearms were entering through the nation’s ports.

“The reason why I asked the question is because if you have intelligence that these illegal guns are coming through the port, then that intelligence should lead to capture, seizure of these illegal guns, and should also lead to arrest, charge and conviction, don’t you think?” Thomas asked.

Bailey agreed in principle but said some aspects of ongoing law enforcement work could not be discussed publicly.

“There are some discussions that we are unable to have in a forum like this,” he said.

However, Bailey added that police investigations have uncovered evidence that some firearms have entered the country concealed within imported shipments.

“We have had instances where we discovered firearms in barrels. There are instances when we found the firearm not in its original state, meaning not in one [piece], but in pieces. A part of the firearm may be in a cereal box, another part may be in the bottom of a shoe. We have seen that.”

He also said evidence suggests firearms are brought into the country by sea, including through exchanges associated with the illegal drug trade.

“The persons who are engaged in the illegal drug trade pretty often exchange our locally grown marijuana for firearms,” Bailey said, adding that the Coast Guard also has a critical role in disrupting those activities.

Throughout the interview, Bailey maintained that reducing gun crime requires cooperation among law enforcement agencies, border security officials and the public.

“We are the lead agency in crime fighting,” he said. “But alongside us, we have partners.”

He reiterated that responding to the threat posed by illegal firearms “has to be a national one.”

END