In a bold new push to curb rising gun-related violence, the government of Antigua and Barbuda has rolled out a comprehensive crime-fighting strategy anchored by a financial incentive program that offers a 5,000 Eastern Caribbean dollar reward to anyone who provides information that helps police recover illegal firearms. Prime Minister Gaston Browne unveiled the initiative during an appearance on the *Browne and Browne Show* on Saturday, emphasizing that the plan is designed to bridge the gap between local communities and law enforcement by encouraging active public participation in removing dangerous weapons from public spaces.
Browne explained that the 5,000 EC dollar payout often exceeds the actual street value of most unregistered firearms, creating a powerful financial motivation for individuals who hold information about illegal weapon caches or possess unauthorized guns themselves to come forward and cooperate with authorities. The reward program is backed by a total government allocation of 500,000 EC dollars, funding that supports the entire information-driven crime reduction initiative.
The reward scheme is not an isolated measure, but rather a core component of the administration’s broader, multi-pronged response to escalating gun crime and other violent offenses across the nation. Alongside the financial incentives for public tips, Browne highlighted that expanded community policing will play a critical role in the strategy. By increasing consistent, positive engagement between officers and local residents, the government aims to build long-term public trust in law enforcement, making communities more willing to share intelligence that can prevent violent crimes before they occur.
Beyond community-focused measures, authorities have already ramped up stop-and-search operations across high-risk areas, a step Browne confirmed has already yielded tangible results, with additional illegal firearms and ammunition seized and removed from circulation in recent weeks. Looking ahead, the government has outlined several key infrastructure and policy upgrades to modernize the country’s law enforcement capacity: it plans to acquire police drones outfitted with night-vision capabilities to expand patrol coverage in hard-to-access areas, extend the national network of public surveillance cameras to increase monitoring of high-traffic and high-crime zones, and complete the full digitization of police records to streamline investigative work and information sharing.
To further strengthen the criminal justice system’s ability to deter violent offending, the administration is also preparing new legislation that will introduce mandatory minimum sentences for serious gun offenses and violent sexual crimes, part of a broader overhaul of the country’s criminal justice framework aimed at increasing public safety and reducing repeat offending.