There is concern in Tonga that guns are being smuggled into the country and police want the help of local residents to find them.
Transcript
There is concern in Tonga that guns are being smuggled into the country and police want the help of local residents to find them.
Don Wiseman asked Deputy Commissioner Pelenatita Fe'ao about the extent to which guns are used in criminal activity.
PELENATITA FE'AO: It would be similar to any other country where you are concerned that border security may not have detected firearms coming into the country. [But} if we go by the crime statistics concerning firearms being involved, it is very very low, to indicate the extent of the problem. But we may be aware that there may be the cases where we do have firearms being smuggled into the country.
DON WISEMAN: So guns are being smuggled in. Why are they being smuggled in?
PF: As we see it, like I have mentioned, the crime statistics do not show too many offences or crimes being committed with firearms, but you start to wonder there are. But for those incidents that have come to police attention they have been resolved by police successfully.
DW: In terms of incidents involving guns, crimes involving guns, you are often there talking about unlicensed guns?
PF: Some may be unlicensed and some are licensed - they have been stolen from the actual owners.
DW: Are there any plans to try and find out just how many guns there are and to have an amnesty. I know there has been an amnesty before, but just in terms of finding out what is out there, what sort of work is being done?
PF: We have done an amnesty as you mention. In addition we have put up a plea to the community to assist in providing information if they are aware of any firearms, the owners of which they suspect are unlicensed. We also have dialogue with our law enforcement partner, the Border Security/Customs regarding these matters, and they do have processes in place. Obviously they cannot catch everything that comes through the border.
DW: What is needed in terms of tightening up the border?
PF: At the moment, they, Customs cannot look through every container that comes through. It will of course slow down the process. Their work is based on intelligence and targets.
DW: Are there scanners for that sort of thing at the airport?
PF: Yes I believe there are and also at the Post Office. Yes the suspicion is or at least the information that has come to police is that these illegal firearms that been smuggled in have very likely come through the cargo containers.
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