Clarendon police take aim at criminals using fake guns

 

The Clarendon Police Division say criminals are using fake guns to carry out night-time robberies and, in some cases, to disarm licensed firearm holders.

 

Senior Superintendent of Police Shane McCalla, head of the Clarendon Police Division, is reminding the public that under the new Firearms Act, it is a criminal offence to possess an imitation firearm.

 

SSP McCalla says the police will intensify town sweeps aimed at removing imitation firearms from the streets, including those being sold by vendors. 

 

"Listen to me, there have been cases where persons use the imitation firearm, hold up licensed firearm holder and relieve them of them firearm. Yes, seriously. That is how real these guns look, right? That is how real these guns look. You can't tell a difference. So a lay person sitting in this room cannot tell the difference between that firearm and what I have on my hip here suh," he said, stressing the need for greater enforcement and public education. 

 

He was addressing the monthly sitting of the Clarendon Municipal Corporation on Thursday. 

 

Meanwhile, despite the overall reduction in crime, the Clarendon Police Division says murder-for-hire remains a major concern within the parish.

 

The parish closed 2025 with 41 murders, representing a 41 per cent decrease — the lowest annual total recorded in approximately 13 years.

 

SSP McCalla said the police are taking proactive steps to protect individuals marked for death. 

 

"One of the big things that we have been managing and that we continue to manage in 2026 is what we call those things that come in as threat to life. So we receive information that Tom is planning to kill Mary Jane. Now it has not happened as yet. We might not have the evidence at the time, however, we have the intelligence, so we put some proactive strategies in place to mitigate. So we'll continue to do that for 2026 because that has been a significant game-changer in what we are seeing now in the parish," he outlined.

 

SSP McCalla added that many contract killings are linked to unresolved interpersonal conflicts, and police are continuing targeted operations to prevent these crimes.