S.Atlantic : One to One With Chris Burgess
Submitted by SARTMA.com (Juanita Brock) 15.12.2004 (Article Archived on 29.12.2004)

Firearms Consultant, Chris Burgess tells Corina Goss about his work and advice to Police Forces all over the world.

ONE TO ONE WITH CHRIS BURGESS

A Report for FIBS by Corina Goss (CG) 14/12/04

CG:  Hello and welcome to the programme.  “One to One” is a programme, which gives the chance for you to hear from Councillors, about current affairs and from visitors to the Islands.  This week, I am speaking to a man who has just spent a very busy week here working alongside the Royal Falkland Islands Police.  He’s Chris Burgess and his job takes him all over the world.

Chris Burgess (CB) thank you for joining me on One to One today.

CB:  It’s a pleasure.

CG:  You are here in the Islands just on a weeklong visit.  You’ve got a very unique job.  Can you tell us a little bit about this to start with?

CB:  I am the Police Firearms Advisor to the Overseas Territories Department of the Foreign and commonwealth Office back in the UK.  My work, up to now, has taken me mostly to the Caribbean and also to Pitcairn.  This is my first visit, in fact, to the South Atlantic Territories.  On this particular round of visits, I started my time at St. Helena, then to Ascension and now to here.  What I look at is Civilian Police’s ability to respond correctly to firearms incidents.  And, thankfully, they are few and far between in this part of the world but they still need that ability because, sadly these days, litigation is the name of the game, either on behalf of the Police Officers themselves because, of course, there is the duty of care to them by their Chief of Police but also, through the Chief of Police to the Governor and, indeed, to the UK Government, should something go badly wrong because the Police aren’t either trained, or equipped correctly.

CG:  Which Overseas Territories have you managed to visit in the course of your work?

CB:  I started off, way back in 1998 as Commissioner of Police in Montserat in the Caribbean, policing the aftermath of the main volcano eruptions.  And, whilst I was out there, I did an inspection of the other Overseas Territories of the Caribbean in relation to firearms because there had been one or two incidents there, where things had gone quite badly wrong and it was obvious that the forces in question needed to start to re-train and re-equip right the way through the ranks to ensure that their response was better.  Obviously, things out in the Caribbean are very different.  There is a far more emphasis on the drug trafficking and the gang culture.  Not so much in the Overseas Territories but certainly in places like Jamaica.  And, of course, you’ve got the South American countries like Colombia, etc. where you’ve got the transhipment problem and the Marine Interdiction.  Again, there, the forces tend to have marine units staffed by Police, who interdict the boats on the way through.

CG:  You work in an advisory capacity.  How can you make sure that your recommendations are implemented?

CB:   I can’t ever ensure it.  All I can point out to either Governors or, indeed, Chiefs of Police if the possible consequences if they don’t respond.  We work to the Association of Chief Police Officers’ Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms, which is, if you like, my Bible.  And, I would expect that the Overseas Territories would either take elements of that, which apply to them or, indeed, the whole lot onboard.  And, that is what I, or my recommendations record here.

CG:  So, how do you actually go about making your assessment?

CB:  I visit the Force, talk to as many people as possible, of all ranks, especially Firearms Trainers, Chiefs of Police, Authorised Firearms Officers, look at their equipment, look at their standing orders in relation to firearms, look at their weaponry, and their training, look at the back-up as well because that’s very important, back up for them from the point of view of whether they’ve got first aid training, or better still, paramedic training on hand or within the detachable firearms unit.  I look at their communications, transport – everything.  So, it gives you a pretty good picture of how they can respond.  Obviously, if there had been incidents in the past, where they had to respond, I will look at those incidents as well and look to see whether lessons have been learned, either good or bad from those.

CG:  Before you came to the Falklands, you were actually on St. Helena.  What did you find there?

CB:  That is a very interesting question because St. Helena has got no one currently trained in Police use of firearms at all.  They’ve got quite a lot of firearms on the Island.  The Chief of Police has seen fit to buy the kit, buy the weaponry – 10 sets of it in all – and he’s got firearms trainers coming out from the Avon and Somerset Force in the UK in the new year to train a certain number of Authorised Firearms Officers (AFOs).   Those Officers will also probably spread to Ascension, as Ascension is part of the St. Helena Force.  So, he’s got quite a lot of work to do in the next 6 to 12 months.

CG:  You said there were a lot of firearms on St. Helena.  Did you take any kind of note of what people are actually using these for, because you don’t think of it as being a very gun-related population?

CB:  It’s basically sporting use and the occasional slaughtering.  It’s not a big thing at all.  I think they regard firearms as tools, just as they are here.  Looking at the Firearms Legislation here, for argument’s sake, I mean, it’s not particularly onerous on those who want a licence.  It’s relatively straight-forward to obtain one - and, understandably so.  I mean. You haven’t got the problems that the UK Mainland have got.  But it’s good to see, for argument’s sake, that the Chief of Police here can impose his own rules and regulations under the Firearms Ordinance, and has banned the importation of pump action shotguns, as did his predecessor.  So, they are becoming scarce as time goes on.

CG:  And what do you think about the level of firearms that are held here in the Falklands?

CB:  It doesn’t particularly worry me.  One has to look at whether there is armed crime.  To be frank, there isn’t a great deal.  From what I can gather, there was one incident of a suicide intervention last year and then one has to go back a considerable time to find anything of particular note and that was when the Defence Force Armoury was burgled.   So, there isn’t a history of armed crime here.  You haven’t got a big problem.  But what you have got is a force that can respond, albeit, on a small scale that can respond and, I think, can respond very effectively.

CG:  How can you make that judgement, though, if you are not able to see them in action and you are only going on one or two past cases?

CB:  I suppose its experience on my part.  But also I think that when one speaks to people and finds what their commitment is, and how much they have actually absorbed at the training, and what training they do and how effective that training is, then it gives you a pretty good indication.  I mean, the last thing you want is for them to be involved in a string of incidents.  And I certainly would back them very heavily to respond correctly to any incident they are likely to face here.

CG:  What about the response to incidents in the Camp where time is a factor?

CB:  It’s difficult but I know, for a fact, having spoken both to the Chief and to the Firearms Instructor, Tom Whistler, that they have a very good relationship with the Military and under Military/Civil Authority, they can ask for helicopter transport and get across there pretty quickly and far quicker than anyone could do by road or whatever.  They have identified the problem and have got a solution to it.  Hopefully, it will work.

CG:  What are the main things that you have done during your week here with the Royal Falkland Islands Police?

CB:  I found a very small force that was very dedicated and very professional.  I would say that they are probably as good as one is likely to get, given the numbers.  They have got very good equipment and they have other equipment on order – ballistic protection type equipment, not, obviously, more weapons because they are very well equipped in that regard.  I found a force, which I think, is up to the task.  Obviously, there will be one or two recommendations coming out of my report but nothing major.

CG:  Moving on a bit to your visit generally, what have you made of the Falklands?

CB:  I have done some background reading and looked at the internet before I came.  And, I spoke to an ex-colleague of mine, who was down here as a Royal Marine some 10 years ago.  And, he said to ma that I will love it.  And, I have.  I walked to Gypsy Cove the other day – Saturday – and enjoyed myself watching the birds.  One of the Officers very kindly took me out to San Carlos and Goose Green yesterday.  So, I have had a look at Camp as well.  And, I have been able to, slightly, come to grips with the distances  and the roads and the general attitude of people.  I found it wonderful.

CG:  With regards to the future, obviously, I guess, this is an on-going job that you have.  So, you will have to visit many more of the territories or visit them more often.  What have you got lined up for the immediate future?

CB:   In the new year, I’ve got Tristan da Cunha lined up, if one can line up Tristan da Cunha because it’s problematic getting there.  But after that, I will be looking for some time at the Marine Interdiction side in the Caribbean, which I have been doing quite a lot of work on.  Whether I will come back down this way, by way or work again, I don’t know.  I hope I will because I thoroughly enjoyed coming down here.  And, I think the other thing I can do if nothing else, is to give forces a little bit of an insight  into where they stand in relation to other forces in relation to firearms matters and give them a boost in that direction.  From that point of view, I would hope to be back again.

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