The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is deepening cooperation among Member States to ensure the safety of the Region as increasing and new forms of crimes are occurring.
CARICOM Ministerial Council for National Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE) met in Trelawny, Jamaica, on Thursday 6 October for the 24th Meeting of the Council for National Security and Law Enforcement. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security of Jamaica, the Hon. Dr. Horace Chang chaired the meeting. It was the first face-to-face meeting of the Council since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In their discussions, Ministers, Commissioners of Police and other security officials emphasized the urgency of tackling the threat of transatlantic organised crime, the trans-shipment of firearms and narcotics, maritime security, and cybercrimes. They underscored the importance of intelligence-sharing, aligning national and regional security priorities, and building partnerships and capacity across law enforcement agencies.
The Meeting discussed matters that were critical to ensuring the viability and sustainability of the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS) – the nerve centre of the Region’s multilateral Crime and Security management architecture – in the face of a changing security environment.
At the conclusion of the Meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Chang pointed out that delegates focused heavily on firearms trafficking which he said was “maybe the greatest threat to the Caribbean countries,” where firearms are more widely used in homicides. Earlier, he noted that “none of our countries manufacture firearms and yet the ill effects of their proliferation and the contribution to gang violence and transnational criminal activities permeates our respective territories and are responsible for more than 70% of homicides in CARICOM”.
“It’s a Caribbean problem and we need to get on top of that issue,” he said.
Delegates were updated on the CARICOM Crime Gun Intelligence Unit which will be operational within one month with the support of the Caribbean Interpol Liaison Office.
The CONSLE Chair said that regional cooperation is integral to establishment of the requisite infrastructure needed to deal with firearms trafficking and the associated criminality such as drug trafficking and, occurring almost simultaneously, expanding cybercrime activity.
“The fact that we were able to focus especially on the firearms trafficking at this meeting was of significant value and we can say we have entered a new era of cooperation in seeking to deal with a common threat to the Caribbean,” Dr. Chang said.
The series of meetings during the week included discussions on Maritime Security with the United National Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Preparations for a High Level CARICOM Summit to address Crime and Violence as a Public Health Issue also engaged the attention of a committee established for the event.
How can the very people who create the problem of lawlessness be part of the solution in solving crime. We have some of the most corrupt governments in the world right here in our region. Law enforcement turns a blind eye to the impropriety and criminal activities of prime ministers and their cohorts. As a consequence, the rest of society follows in locked step.
When a prime minister can become one of the richest men from the measly salary of a civil servant, in one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere, that speaks volumes about our crime fighting efforts.
As usual, CARICOM organises numerous meetings, expends a lot of money, talk a good talk, but when the participants return home, NOTHING is implemented. CARICOM has justly earned itself the dubious distinction as just a talkshop.
I fervently hope that the Minister of National Insecurity ‘court martial’ cognitively incompetent Melissa, and question her about her army of snipers and navy seals she boasted about. At least, that’s a start of fighting crime.
Just recently I thought about the composition of persons in the cabinet. I shook my head and laughed. I thought to myself, no wonder the country is slipping into oblivion.
Dominica has the worst (in)security, education, agriculture, tourism, health, finance & prime ministers in the . All of them combined should be paid $0.00. They have the people just barely surviving instead of thriving.
By the way, why is Melissa who seems as though she suffers from brain fog doing in parliament. What is her role in government. Someone said to me to decorate the Bay Front for the occasional celebration. The lady is as dumb as a bucket of coal dust.She is a colossal waste of tax payers’ money.
She has expensive taste, so her husband figured, let the government pay her a good salary that way I don’t have to pay for the excesses.
Total waste of time group. All they are good for is talking and fattening themselves at taxpayers expense.