Crime and Violence a heavy toll on (CARICOM) society – CARICOM SG

Secretary-General of CARICOM Irwin Larocque

Irwin LaRocque, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), called on CARICOM to counteract the threat of crime and violence, when he addressed the opening of the 29th Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government, on Monday in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

“As we pool our resources and strategize to combat the damaging effects of climate change, we need to do so as well to counteract another threat to our societies…. I refer to the effects of crime and violence”, he said.

Amb. LaRocque pointed to the toll on societies through “loss of lives”, “injuries” and the “psychological trauma” and observed that the greatest impact was on families. “It was within that circle the battle against the scourge must begin”.

At the regional level, the Secretary-General suggested revisiting the CARICOM Crime and Security Strategy (CCSS) signed five years ago in Haiti to identify areas for improvement in order to make it more effective.

He pointed also to a number of legal instruments which he said were significant additions to the Community’s armoury against trans-border crime. In this context, he singled out the CARICOM Arrest Warrant Treaty and the Agreement on the Return or Sharing of Recovered Assets, stating that he looked forward to the “Treaty being ratified as soon as possible” and to the completion of the negotiations for the Agreement.

The CARICOM Arrest Warrant Treaty simplifies the procedure of returning fugitives to the country where charges have been laid, while Agreement on the Return or sharing of Recovered Assets provides a framework for the return or sharing of criminal assets which have been moved to another jurisdiction.

The Secretary-General informed that the Region has been working on a Counter-terrorism Strategy. He drew attention to the very nature of the Community’s interconnection and its vulnerability, as a result.

“…an act of terrorism or violent extremism in one Member State will resonate and have repercussions through our Region,” he said.

The Secretary-General reminded that the issue of crime and violence was regional problem demanding a regional solution and that it required the full cooperation of all the national and regional agencies charged with the responsibility for addressing crime and security.

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4 Comments

  1. Yes ah
    February 27, 2018

    I wonder if the government will even listen to advise from the different caricom organizations

  2. zandoli
    February 27, 2018

    Whenever I hear anything uttered by regional governments or other regional bodies, I immediately start to yawn. These guys talk a good talk, but do little to put any of that talk into action. They say all the right things, but that is the extent of their action if one can call it that.

  3. Doh watch me
    February 27, 2018

    Stratifying legislation to combat crime without addressing the main issue of the legal shortfalls that go unnoticed is more important than more stringent measures on criminals. The constitutional rights of Caribbean people are not yet noticed or upheld by the law in so far as to structure their lives that they may feel a sense of worth by the law. It seems like bobol and corruption rules the order of the day and most crime starts with those in office who abuse the rights of the people who end up developing criminal lives in order to survive. Religion. politics and supposed legal authority has ruined the lives of God fearing citizens who only get spat on if they don’t have enough money to afford legislation in order to protect their lives. When money rules the people die.

  4. Ibo France
    February 27, 2018

    Law enforcement agencies must be relentless in their efforts to eradicate criminal activities of every kind in the different regional territories. No effort should be spared in this endeavor. If crimes are allowed to fester, then every other effort of endeavor would fail. Why is it that these CARICOM meetings seem to be all talk and no substance? CARICOM countries need to implement practical solutions to problems, that are presently plaguing most member countries, in order for the people of the region to take this organization seriously. Some of these issues should include crime, poverty, intra regional trade, food security, green energy, technological development, and economic stagnation. Working together, with genuine effort, determination and perseverance, we can solve many of the region’s problems.

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