Regional security ministers meet in Grenada

Grenada, Mar 22, CMC – The Council of Ministers of the Barbados-based Regional Security Council (RSS) began a meeting here on Wednesday with Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell underscoring the importance of the cooperation in the fight against trans-national crime.

Mitchell, who is chairing the meeting, told delegates including the prime ministers of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia and St. Kitts-Nevis, that the safety of the Caribbean was continuously under threat as criminal gangs were also coordinating their activities.

He spoke of a murder in Grenada on Tuesday night, where an individual was shot several times, saying “a preliminary investigation suggests that this was an execution style hit and that the perpetrator may not have been originally from Grenada.

“So I am highlighting the challenges that we face, regionally that the gun related criminal activity, while we are sitting here meeting, the criminals are also sitting and often times taking a regional approach to their criminal activity”.

The meeting here is providing a platform for the Council to exchange ideas and discuss best practices for enhancing security in the region as the RSS member states, which now include Guyana, address common challenges such as illegal arms trade, drug trafficking, and intelligence gathering.

During his address, Mitchell acknowledged that the RSS has been playing a role in providing transportation for the movement of drugs during the height of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as well as easing the travel woes of regional leaders following the collpase of the regional airline, LIAT.

He said since coming to office in June last year, last week Thursday was the only occasion he has had an opportunity to fly on a commercial airline, relying in the past on the Air Wing of the RSS.

“It is therefore my hope that this challenge of inadequate airlift in the region will soon be addressed in a positive way and that the Air Wing would be able to concentrate more fully on one of its primary missions of drug interdiction.”

Mitchell said while the RSS mechanism includes eight countries within the Caribbean , people in the region have been able to benefit from the work of the RSS that was created in 1982 to counter threats to the stability of the region in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

He said the RSS, whose main purposes and functions are to promote co-operation among the member states in the prevention and interdiction of traffic in illegal narcotic drugs, in national emergencies, search and rescue, immigration control, fisheries protection, customs and excise control and maritime policing duties,“continues to develop a range of initiatives aimed at enhancing the capabilities of our law enforcement agencies.

“The RSS acknowledges that criminals and their associates adapt continually to the changing environment and as such the response mechanisms adopted to fight serious organised crime and trans national crime must align with the developing threat environment,” Mitchell added.

He said the mission is to “bankrupt the criminals by removing their heart beat, the money, the profits or the assets involved in engineering or resulting from these criminal activities”

Mitchell said as a result, the RSS  Asset Recovery Unit (ARU) in collaboration with the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is working to implement the FATF’s recommendations across member states.

He said the ARU is also cooperating with other organisations including the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) in asset recovery and financial investigations in the wider Caribbean region.

“ Our citizenry can rest assured that our response mechanism of the RSS along with its international diplomatic relations and partnerships will function effectively to counter emerging threats to our societies.”

Mitchell acknowledged that the region is now “battling the scourge of firearms and ammunition importation from “countries outside of our shores where these menacing tools are manufactured.

“The easy access to firearms in our countries is one of the greatest threats that we currently face and the various criminal activities spawned from the use of illegal firearms have far reaching negative impacts on our people and societies.

“It is widely accepted that economic and social development are difficult to achieve where turmoil and instability exist. We must therefore continue to make every effort to ensure that the security environment of our countries is such that it encourages investment and supports the several critical economic activities that drive our development.”

Mitchell said the regional security body recognises and appreciate the important role played by the international partners, including the international police organisation INTERPOL and the United States, “ in lending their support in stemming the flow of these dangerous weapons”.

He said CARICOM has recently established a gun crime intelligence unit to assist in this effort and urged Caribbean countries to put in place the various measures to lessen the demands for guns especially among the youth of the region.

In his address, Mitchell praised the various international countries  such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the European Union in funding the RSS.

“It is no secret that the economies of our region are constrained  and carry heavy social responsibilities which restrict the amount of capital that can be allocated to the RSS and other regional institutions, “ he added.

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