Combine security assets for citizens’ safety – SG LaRocque urges Security Ministers at CONSLE
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque on Wednesday urged regional security ministers to bring to bear their collective assets to ensure the safety of citizens in the Community.
The serious and pressing nature of security issues in the Community demand collective attention as security threats spread beyond borders, the Secretary-General said in a speech delivered on his behalf at the 16th Meeting of the Council for National Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE) by Dr. Douglas Slater, Assistant Secretary-General within the Directorate of Human and Social Development.
At the meeting held in Trinidad and Tobago, the Secretary-General noted that successful cooperation in security has borne fruits in the work of the Joint Regional Communications Centre (JRCC), the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) and the operations of the Regional Intelligence Fusion Centre which allows for information sharing with the Community. These agencies have proven their worth, the Secretary-General noted, adding that the regional commitment to their establishment is equally necessary in the finalization of legislation and other legal instruments to support the regional crime and security architecture.
In this regard, he called on the Legal Affairs Committee to pay attention to the Protocol Amending the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas to incorporate CONSLE as an organ of the Community and IMPACS as an Institution. This was both timely and critical to enforce the establishment of Security as the Fourth Pillar of CARICOM, he noted.
In addition to advancing the legislative framework, Secretary-General LaRocque said adequate attention must also be placed on crime prevention with a focus on youth both as victims and perpetrators of crime. He welcomed the interventions by the United States through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), the European Union and the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in partnering with CARICOM for a safe and secure Community.