Regional intelligence network highest priority
-CARICOM crime meeting
Stabroek News
March 6, 2004
The establishment of a regional information and intelligence sharing network has been stamped the highest priority, and a UK expert is to be assigned to give assistance.
This is one of the decisions made at the high level meeting of members of the CARICOM Ministerial Sub-Committee for Resource Mobilisation for Crime and Security and a UK senior level team on Security Cooperation at the Hilton Hotel, Kingston, Jamaica on Wednesday.
As a follow-up, a CARICOM team comprising experts in IT (information technology) and security, chaired by Francis Forbes, Commissioner of Police, Jamaica Constabulary Force, has been charged with developing the framework for a Coordinating Information Management Authority (CIMA) which is to be appointed as a matter of urgency, according to a communique issued at the just-concluded meeting.
The authority/unit will be responsible for supervising the development and implementation of the regional network and will consult with a UK expert who will be deployed as soon as possible.
Another decision given a priority rating is the training of security and law enforcement officials. In this regard, the aim is to develop a regional framework for providing staff, command and leadership training for all security and law enforcement sectors. The CARICOM/UK team working with the relevant police training schools and UWI will seek to harmonise training programmes, as well as increase the number of courses and expand the research capabilities within UWI and other tertiary level institutions within the region. And the UK will seek to identify substantial funding to support this, according to the communique. They undertook to carry out a scoping study in March-April in order to have an institutionalised training programme delivered from October.
Considering maritime cooperation, the meeting pledged to develop a framework for upgrading the asset base in the Caribbean, and along with this to review the Regional Maritime Agreement with a view to inking the document. The communiqué said that in this regard, the UK and CARICOM in collaboration where appropriate with other countries or partners will carry out a survey to assist member states in upgrading their capabilities. The UK agreed to take the lead and coordinate a steering committee to this end and these activities are to be completed in time for the UK/Caribbean Forum from May 10-12 in London.
The meeting also considered border security and CARICOM now has to establish an Expert Group to identify the priorities in this area and will meet with the UK expert team to plan an implementation strategy in time for discussion at the UK/Caribbean Forum in May. The findings of this expert group will feed into the steering committee on maritime cooperation.
Moreover, the UK/CARICOM will undertake to draft an integrated framework document on a regional security strategy for likely agreement in the UK/Caribbean Forum in May.
The meeting on Wednesday sought to follow-up the discussions at the Breakfast Meeting between UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and Prime Minister PJ Patterson, Chair of CARICOM and other CARICOM Heads of Government in London last December.
It had been agreed that a joint CARICOM/UK consultation would focus on a framework for coordinated action for crime prevention and security, the challenges of the drug trade, improving interdiction, tackling the proliferation of illegal weapons and enhancing the region's capacity to tackle crime, the communiqué noted.
The meeting in Jamaica's capital was chaired by Dr Peter Phillips, Minister of National Security and included Mia Mottley, Deputy Prime Minister and Attorney General of Barbados; Cynthia Pratt, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Bahamas; Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Belize; and Overand Padmore, National Security Advisor to Prime Minister Patrick Manning of Trinidad and Tobago.
The UK team was lead by Bill Rammell, M.P., Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and included Peter Mathers, British High Commissioner to Jamaica and representatives of the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department of International development and UK Law Enforcement agencies.
Minister Phillips said the discussions were taking place in the context of the accelerated approach to achieving a CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), the region's preparations for Cricket World Cup 2007 and general security threats, including terrorism, illicit drugs and firearms and money laundering. He noted also the need for an indigenous regional security strategy which would inform the priorities for resource mobilisation which is the remit of the CARICOM Ministerial Sub-Committee under his chairmanship.
The chairman of the meeting pointed out also that the CARICOM Regional Task Force on Crime and Security at its 9th meeting in February had developed several priorities in its plan of action. However, he suggested that the agenda for this joint UK/CARICOM meeting should focus on four issues: Training of Security and Law Enforcement Officials, Regional Information and Intelligence Sharing, Border Security Enhancement and Regional Maritime Cooperation. These he concluded were all vital components of an overall regional security strategy.