The Region and US commit to strong joint citizen security measures

By Kendol Morgan Last updated Jun 9, 2015

security meeting - US-CARICOM HIGH LEVEL CITIZEN SECURITY DIALOGUE-2 — Caribbean-US High-Level Citizen Security Dialogue: – front row, from left: the Hon. Fred Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration; Roberta S. Jacobson, US Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA); the Rt. Hon Perry Christie, Prime Minister, The Bahamas and Chairman of CARICOM; the Hon. Dr. Bernard Nottage, Minister of National Security; and the Hon. Adriel Braithwaite, Attorney General and Minister of Home Affairs of Barbados and Chair of CARICOM Council of Ministers Responsible for National Security and Law Enforcement. CARICOM ASG Foreign and Community Relations Ambassador Colin Granderson is second row far right and ASG Human and Social Development Dr. Douglas Slater is second row far left Also pictured are Ministers of National Security from the Region and other visiting delegates from the region and the United States. (BIS Photo/Peter Ramsay)

Governments of the Caribbean and the United States agreed to undertake a number of security-related priority actions at a High Level Security Cooperation Dialogue, held in The Bahamas, 4 June, 2015.

security meeting - US-CARICOM HIGH LEVEL CITIZEN SECURITY DIALOGUE-1 — CARICOM Chairman and Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Rt. Hon. Perry Christie addressed the meeting

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The Nassau Commitment for Citizen Security in the Caribbean, issued following the meeting, requires the Region and the US to, among other things, “address the illicit trafficking of firearms at the national, bilateral and regional level by all Caribbean States and international partners”

Specific actions required include:

Operationalising the Regional Integrated Balistic Information Network (RIBIN) to stop illicit firearms trafficking in the region.
Adopting national policies requiring full input into Ribin of examplars of all shell casings and bullets found at crime scenes,
Reviewing and updating firearms legislation in each Caribbean state and share the results of the review and actions.

There was also a commitment to promote social justice by addressing the important issues of at-risk youth and juvenile justice reform.

Read the full statement: Nassau_Commitment_for_Citizen_Security_in_the_Caribbean

See also end of meeting Press Release: Security_Dialogue_BIS_press_release

caricom us security