Police arrest a 44 year old male on suspicion of possession of an imitation firearm.

At about 2am on Saturday 5^th May 2012, the 911 emergency center received information that a male was in possession of a machine gun in the Sheddon Road area of George Town.

Officers from the USG responded to the call and attended the location in the vicinity of Funky Tangs. On the officers arrival they saw a male fitting the description holding what appeared to be an AK47 type machine gun. The officers made their presence known to the suspect and shouted to put the weapon down. The suspect turned to face the officers still holding the firearm.

Officers again shouted to the suspect to put the firearm down and eventually he did as instructed.

The male was subsequently arrested. A preliminary inspection of the weapon determined that it was not a real firearm and the suspect was taken into custody on  suspicion of possession of an imitation firearm with intent to commit an offence.

No shots were fired or persons injured in the incident.

Acting Chief Superintendent Kurt Walton had this to say, ‘ the level of restraint displayed by those officers in this instance is unbelievable. It shows the level of training and high standards of our armed officers. They could have never known at the time that the weapon held by this suspect was not real. This could have easily had a different outcome. Again, it highlights the commitment of our officers to tackle gun crime and other criminality in the Cayman Islands”.

Anyone who has any information regarding criminal activities in the George Town area, is asked to contact George Town Police Station on 949-4222, the RCIPS tip-line 949-7777 or the confidential Crime Stoppers number 800-8477(TIPS).