Saint Lucia was among the countries represented at a Trinidad and Tobago meeting to discuss reducing the Caribbean’s violent crime spike fueled by illicit firearms trafficking.
Saint Lucia participated remotely.
The Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS) hosted the meeting on May 9, 2024, at its Port of Spain Headquarters.
United States partners and CARICOM Police Commissioners attended the hybrid session.
According to a CARICOM IMPACS release, the participants explored ways to improve further collaboration with the CARICOM Crime Gun Intelligence Unit (CGIU).
Lt. Col. Michael Jones, Executive Director of CARICOM IMPACS, explained that the Unit’s benefits have been evident less than one year since its establishment.
Jones stated that to date, the CGIU has received information and intelligence on firearms seizures and recoveries from 15 CARICOM Member States and has launched at least 34 investigations.
Ambassador Todd D. Robinson, Assistant Secretary, US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), emphasised the shared goal of addressing crime and violence.
Robinson said that the US is prioritising investigations and prosecutions of firearms traffickers, who actively endanger communities in both the US and the Caribbean.
He affirmed that “the INL intends to continue to support the CGIU, which has had a great impact on real-time information sharing.”
In a show of collaboration, the US donated a 75-inch interactive smartboard, 14 Samsung 27-inch monitors, and a four-year-old Belgian Malinois sniffer dog trained to detect drugs, firearms, and ammunition, to support the Unit and its work in countering firearms and narcotics.
