Don’t blame me for FUL permit delays

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News Shane Superville 4 Hrs AgoActing CoP McDonald Jacob –

Acting Police Commissioner McDonald Jacob says an uneven distribution of Firearms User’s Licenses (FUL) has led to problems of availability for many applicants.

He adds that while he is on the receiving end of criticism from the public over the sluggish pace of processing permits, he should not be blamed.

On Friday a police media release reported that the police Firearms Section is still operating and receiving applications for permits and the police were using a digital database to better manage the issuance of FULs.

In the media release Jacob also noted that while the software to record the data had been bought since 2015, former employees in the Firearms Section continued to use a manual method, which allowed for corruption in the FUL application process.

Speaking with Newsday on Friday, Jacob said using a digitized system of record-keeping would improve the capacity and efficiency of the process.

He also said the issuing of a disproportionate number of FULs in recent times was problematic for serving applicants who were still waiting for their permits.

“Een though 7,000 firearms were given out in the last three years, some people were given 27, 20 and 15 firearms each…In the case of one person having 27 firearms, that means 26 additional people could have been given firearms.”

He coomplained, “A lot of the people who deserve firearms user’s licenses aren’t getting it, but yet the blame is being placed on me in the public sphere, as if I don’t want to give people firearms.

“I feel it’s totally unfair to me when someone has done so much damage and no one is taking that up and they are only coming at me.”

Jacob said officers assigned to the Firearms Section were working to use the digital software and ten FUL holders have already been added to the digital list as of June.

In April 2021, former CoP Gary Griffith proposed that a card could be used together with the FUL issued booklet to certify licensed gun owners.

During a media conference announcing the proposed transition from booklets to cards, Griffith said the cards would not only be more practical but would also include a chip containing information on the FUL holder.

However when asked about this proposed shift to cards, Jacob said while the suggestion was appreciated, such a transition would require amendments to the existing Firearms Act, even if the cards were to be used together with the original booklet.

“The law still has to be amended, because when you produce the card but you don’t have your book, the law does not cater for any card. The law says you have to have your booklet on you, not the card.. “

Contacted for comment, Griffith said it was never his intention to replace the FUL booklet but to have the card as a more convenient means of identifying licensed gun owners.

He also said the failure to use cards was a step backwards, and accused Jacob of being fearful of advances in technology.

“By them (the police) deliberately removing it and putting an end to it for over a year, this was designed deliberately to go back to old-time policing, to use the book, where it is there are no checks and balancing.

“He is contradicting himself, because the technology was there, it was being used, and that is why they pulled back on it.”

Griffith also argued that a card system for FULs was more secure, as booklets could be lost and signatures forged by criminals.

In May, president of the Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce Richie Sookhai called for FULs to be issued to business owners, saying an upsurge in criminal activities in the Central Division put the community at risk.

Contacted for comment, Sookhai said he was pleased with the development and was optimistic the new system would not only reduce the waiting period for permits but also cut down on corruption in the approval process.

“It is an excellent development, especially with the digitization of the procedure, This way applicants won’t have to go through the hassle and bureaucracy.

“This would also reduce human error where errors can be made or documents lost, now we would have that digital footprint.

“We are hoping this new system will be more efficient (and) can ensure some level of additional transparency.”

Newsday also contacted president of the Supermarket Association of TT (SATT) Rajiv Diptee, who said he was also pleased FUL permit applications could still be submitted.

Referring to a meeting with Jacob last week, Diptee said he was optimistic the new process would be easier to navigate, but said applicants would still have to qualify for an FUL permit.

“What he was very direct on is that people who apply for FULs must meet the criteria to carry a firearm. So that means having the necessary training, passing the psychometric testing and all the other stringencies required. So he was very adamant on that.

“I’m very pleased with what I heard. You listen to a lot of people who come into office and they say things, but I found the commissioner in particular, who has decades in the service…someone who wants to get it done and he wants to get it done properly.

“It’s important for us, because now you’re seeing criminals with automatic rifles, and it’s difficult for us in the business community to get a legal pistol. So I think he (Jacob) understands all of these things.”

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