Cobb
UNITED STATES Ambassador to Jamaica Sue Cobb has rejected criticism that her country was not doing enough to curb the flow of illegal guns from its shores to Jamaica.
Speaking at The Gleaner's Editors' Forum this week, she conceded that there were still things the US could do even though it was already providing assistance to the Jamaican Government to battle the illegal gun trade.
She said her country should not be made to shoulder the responsibility for the problem, however.
"I am not prepared to say we are not doing enough," the Ambassador said.
The US has come under fire from various public officials and commentators in Jamaica for what is viewed as its half-hearted approach to helping local law enforcement officials to stamp out the illegal gun trade.
For example, earlier this year Commissioner of Police Francis Forbes blasted the superpower for not giving full co-operation to Jamaica in dealing with the problem.
"Much of the illegal weapons are coming out of the United States and yet, in the past, we have never been able to get full co-operation in that country allocating sufficient resources, whether human or otherwise, to tackle the problem at home on their very doorsteps," Commissioner Forbes told the West Kingston Commission of Enquiry earlier this year.
At the time, the Commissioner recommended that Jamaica adopt a regional approach to the problem rather than working directly with the US authorities.
But Ambassador Cobb said the US had put resources into helping Jamaica to control its borders to cut down on the influx of guns, which have been the main weapon of murder in the island.
She added that the US was also providing help to Jamaica in tracing the entry of illegal guns so the suppliers of the weapons could be detected. This co-operation has resulted in some arrests, the Ambassador said.
"We have made some strides with the efforts on guns. We do think about it, we do focus on it," she said.
