Darfa reluctant to hand back weapons but PM seizes 109 firearms in May

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Friday, June 06, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Metropolitan Police (PM) director, Lazaro Forero says 109 firearms were seized in different operations throughout the metropolitan area during May ... "we have recovered an average 3 guns a day ... 90% of crimes in Caracas are carried out at gunpoint." 

Forero highlights  the fact that 67 cars were reported stolen during May, 4,000 packets of drugs were seized and 257 persons arrested in connection with different kinds of crime. 

The MP director says he has been surprised to discover that the majority of criminals with a long rap have gun permits from the Armed Force (FAN) Armament Office (Darfa), even though Forero complains that Darfa retains weapons taken off the PM during last year's stand-off with the government. 

The PM, Forero states, cannot penetrate red alert zones of Caracas because it lacks the necessary automatic weapons that criminal elements possess. "Our uniformed officers have.38s ... we haven't been in some barrio for 5 months ever since our weapons were taken off us."

Defense Minister Jose Luis Prieto continues to defend his position that police weapons are Armed Force (FAN) responsibility ... the government claims that the PM used their heavy weapons during the events of April 11-14 to repress government supporters.