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Isiah Parnell.
It appears that the United States government is willing to support a Jamaican request for assistance in the fight against the illegal importation of guns from that country.
st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }U.S. Charge d' Affaires, in Kingston, Isiah Parnell, told RJR News Thursday that his government would respond positively to a request for an agent of the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to be posted in Jamaica.
That has emerged as crucial request by the Jamaican police in their quest to stem the flow of illegal firearms into the country.
Police need help
It was earlier this week that Assistant Commissioner of Police Les Green expressed frustration with the flood of illegal firearms from the United States during an interview with RJR News.
"Our weapons we seize here, a vast majority have come from or through someway from the US. We have been after the US about this for a number of years now to have a member of the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives based here in Jamaica because we need their expertise, we need the ability to fast track these investigations," ACP Green said.
US willing to assist
The US Charge d' Affaires confirmed that he had already had discussions with the ATF on the matter and that a favourable response to this request was likely.
"And so we're doing what we can to take the necessary steps to make sure that if there is interest on both sides, and we get Foreign Ministry approval of course before we bring anybody here to work on those kinds of matters,
"If that's an area where we can provide assistance and demonstrate the friendship we have with the government of Jamaica that's something we are more than happy to do," he said.
The US diplomat readily conceded that gun smuggling from the United States was indeed a serious problem for Jamaica.
"Speaking to my representative from the Department of Homeland Security, they tell me that a large majority of firearms that are used in the commission of crimes here are bought and shipped illegally from the US. Particularly from places like Florida, Georgia and Texas where restrictions on the purchase of firearms is much more lax than it is in other places. New York is also a shipping point for firearms to Jamaica," Mr. Parnell said.
More than 600 illegal guns are recovered by the police in Jamaica every year but this is believed to be a very small percentage of the guns being imported illegally annually.
US not happy with extradition requests
And the United States government is still smarting over a decision by Jamaica's Attorney General Dorothy Lightbourne to deny a recent extradition request for businessman Presley Bingham on drug trafficking charges.
Mr. Parnell told RJR News this afternoon, both countries continue to enjoy a successful relationship as it relates to extradition requests.
He however noted that though the agreement allows room for prosecutors on either side to seek clarification and ultimately to deny a request after careful review, the US government was disappointed as care was taken to ensure the request was properly configured.
"We think that we are very careful in terms of how we put together the extradition requests that are reviewed by the Jamaican authority. Although the majority of those are approved there may be times in which the preparation or presentation of a particular case does not pass muster with officials from the government of Jamaica,
"It is entirely within their authority to review those requests to make sure they are thorough and they meet the tennents of the extradition request. We were a little bit disheartened by this particular extradition request because it was a second time we were not able to move forward with the extradition," he said.
Turning to the extradition request for Tivoli Gardens area leader Christopher Dudus Coke, Mr. Parnell said there is no impatience on the part of the US as it concerns the length of time local authorities have taken to review the request.
"It's best to do things right and thorough and both sides are satisfied that they have had a opportunity to exhaust any question that they have about this particular extradition request but all extradition requests, these are serious matters, we expect them to be taken seriously and part of taking something seriously is asking for additional information asking for clarification if clarification is needed," he said.
http://www.radiojamaica.com/content/view/24642/26/
Isiah Parnell.st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }U.S. Charge d' Affaires, in Kingston, Isiah Parnell, told RJR News Thursday that his government would respond positively to a request for an agent of the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to be posted in Jamaica.
That has emerged as crucial request by the Jamaican police in their quest to stem the flow of illegal firearms into the country.
Police need help
It was earlier this week that Assistant Commissioner of Police Les Green expressed frustration with the flood of illegal firearms from the United States during an interview with RJR News.
"Our weapons we seize here, a vast majority have come from or through someway from the US. We have been after the US about this for a number of years now to have a member of the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives based here in Jamaica because we need their expertise, we need the ability to fast track these investigations," ACP Green said.
US willing to assist
The US Charge d' Affaires confirmed that he had already had discussions with the ATF on the matter and that a favourable response to this request was likely.
"And so we're doing what we can to take the necessary steps to make sure that if there is interest on both sides, and we get Foreign Ministry approval of course before we bring anybody here to work on those kinds of matters,
"If that's an area where we can provide assistance and demonstrate the friendship we have with the government of Jamaica that's something we are more than happy to do," he said.
The US diplomat readily conceded that gun smuggling from the United States was indeed a serious problem for Jamaica.
"Speaking to my representative from the Department of Homeland Security, they tell me that a large majority of firearms that are used in the commission of crimes here are bought and shipped illegally from the US. Particularly from places like Florida, Georgia and Texas where restrictions on the purchase of firearms is much more lax than it is in other places. New York is also a shipping point for firearms to Jamaica," Mr. Parnell said.
More than 600 illegal guns are recovered by the police in Jamaica every year but this is believed to be a very small percentage of the guns being imported illegally annually.
US not happy with extradition requests
And the United States government is still smarting over a decision by Jamaica's Attorney General Dorothy Lightbourne to deny a recent extradition request for businessman Presley Bingham on drug trafficking charges.
Mr. Parnell told RJR News this afternoon, both countries continue to enjoy a successful relationship as it relates to extradition requests.
He however noted that though the agreement allows room for prosecutors on either side to seek clarification and ultimately to deny a request after careful review, the US government was disappointed as care was taken to ensure the request was properly configured.
"We think that we are very careful in terms of how we put together the extradition requests that are reviewed by the Jamaican authority. Although the majority of those are approved there may be times in which the preparation or presentation of a particular case does not pass muster with officials from the government of Jamaica,
"It is entirely within their authority to review those requests to make sure they are thorough and they meet the tennents of the extradition request. We were a little bit disheartened by this particular extradition request because it was a second time we were not able to move forward with the extradition," he said.
Turning to the extradition request for Tivoli Gardens area leader Christopher Dudus Coke, Mr. Parnell said there is no impatience on the part of the US as it concerns the length of time local authorities have taken to review the request.
"It's best to do things right and thorough and both sides are satisfied that they have had a opportunity to exhaust any question that they have about this particular extradition request but all extradition requests, these are serious matters, we expect them to be taken seriously and part of taking something seriously is asking for additional information asking for clarification if clarification is needed," he said.
http://www.radiojamaica.com/content/view/24642/26/
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