Illicit firearms trafficking stays probably the most pressing transnational threats dealing with the Caribbean, contributing on to surging violence and undermining public security. That’s the message popping out of the opening ceremony of a five-day regional coaching workshop on firearms trafficking, hosted in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
The initiative is a joint effort by the Caribbean Group (CARICOM) Implementation Company for Crime and Safety (IMPACS), the European Union’s EL PACCTO 2.0 programme, and France’s ALCORCA (Technical Cooperation Help Program for the Struggle towards Organized Crime within the Caribbean Area).
“These devices of violence gasoline gang warfare, drive up murder charges and undermine the peace and stability important for our sustainable growth,” stated Lt. Col. Michael Jones, Govt Director of CARICOM IMPACS. He famous that the coaching displays rising regional cooperation to fight unlawful weapons and is a direct consequence of collaboration amongst CARICOM IMPACS, EL PACCTO 2.0, and ALCORCA.
Jones highlighted the position of the CARICOM Crime Gun Intelligence Unit (CGIU) because the intelligence hub for crime gun knowledge and urged CARICOM Member States to look at intelligence-sharing protocols to make sure the effectiveness of the area’s safety response.
For Michel Segura, Deputy Director of EL PACCTO 2.0, the workshop marks a milestone as the primary tripartite collaboration between the three businesses to deal with transnational organized crime. “This coaching represents greater than a technical occasion. It’s a widespread imaginative and prescient for a safer, extra ready, extra linked regional area to combat towards firearms trafficking,” he stated. He emphasised the significance of coordinated responses, finest apply sharing, and worldwide cooperation.
Fabrice Coussot, Worldwide Technical Skilled on Organised Crime and Narco Trafficking with ALCORCA, famous that this was the fiftieth coaching session for the reason that programme’s inception 9 years in the past. “Greater than ever, we’re satisfied that coaching, sharing intelligence and experience are the one approach to deal with the threats we face. That is notably true within the case of arms trafficking,” he careworn.
Delivering the characteristic tackle, Videsh Maharaj, Everlasting Secretary at Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Nationwide Safety, stated the Caribbean experiences violent demise charges practically 3 times the worldwide common, with over 50% of homicides involving firearms. He cited knowledge exhibiting that between 2009 and 2018, greater than 22,000 unlawful firearms and 300,000 rounds of ammunition have been seized throughout CARICOM. He additionally pointed to U.S. ATF knowledge exhibiting that from 2018 to 2022, 73% of the 7,399 firearms traced within the Caribbean have been sourced from the USA.
“Understanding these dynamics, Trinidad and Tobago stays dedicated to forming stronger alliances,” Maharaj stated, referencing partnerships by means of CARICOM IMPACS, the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap, and technical help from UNLIREC, backed by Canada, the UK, Germany, and the EU.
He inspired workshop members to share their experiences and construct lasting relationships. “Coordination constructed on relationships is what turns coverage into motion,” Maharaj stated.
