St Elizabeth police warn headlight flashes may shield gun traffickers

Police in St Elizabeth say illegal firearms are being transported among ordinary road users, and they are cautioning drivers that flashing headlights to warn others about checkpoints may be helping criminals stay out of custody.

The appeal followed a Monday operation before daybreak in Santa Cruz and nearby communities in the Breadbasket Parish. Police reported that one illegal gun was seized and 16 people were detained during the exercise.

Superintendent Coleridge Minto, who heads the St Elizabeth Police Division, said roadblocks and stop-and-search activities continue to be some of the division’s strongest methods for finding guns and locating wanted men.

“A number of the firearm finds that we have had since I’ve been there were found at road stops, meaning you stop a vehicle and police suspicions lead to further search, or there is intel that tells us of a particular vehicle that we intercept,” Minto said.

“In fact, just last year, we found two weapons in one car. We’ve found weapons on bikes. It is an age-old practice. The police are on the road, but we can’t be on every road at every location,” he added.

According to the police, St Elizabeth’s broad network of roads, including twisting rural routes, gives firearm traffickers options as they move through the parish. Motorcycles are also being used because they can move quickly and slip onto alternative roads more easily.

Investigators say some drivers may believe they are only extending a courtesy when they blink their headlights to alert approaching motorists about police ahead, but that warning can undermine enforcement work.

“What it does is enable the motorist to slow down or stop and wait out the police; and then they continue speeding and end up killing themselves and other motorists. Some motorists are also carrying weapons and they will wait until we leave or detour with their weapons. These weapons can in turn be turned against your families. So we are asking you to desist,” warned Deputy Superintendent Everton Williams.

Minto said a number of major gun recoveries in St Elizabeth have come from ordinary vehicle checks, operations guided by intelligence, and joint activities carried out across the parish.

He also disclosed that at least two men now wanted by investigators had escaped from custody about three years ago, which he said shows why checkpoints remain useful in spotting and arresting fugitives.

During Monday’s operation, police seized several motor vehicles and issued dozens of traffic tickets, most of them involving unregistered vehicles.

Of the 16 people detained, at least two are expected to face charges. The others have been released.

Minto said the exercise was part of a wider push in the division against illegal guns, wanted persons, and other crimes, including sexual offences.

Although many people view roadblocks mainly as traffic-enforcement exercises, Minto said they remain important to crime fighting and to gathering intelligence.

"There are times when information points us to a particular vehicle, and there are times when a routine stop leads to further checks and discoveries," he said.

"We will continue to carry out these operations because they are producing results."