Managing the Crime and Security Agenda within the Caribbean Community

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Managing the Crime and Security Agenda within the
Caribbean Community By Colonel (Retd) Fairbairn
Liverpool CARICOM Secretariat At Working Group
Session for the First Meeting of Public Safety
Ministers of the Americas 14 August 2008
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OUTLINE

• What is the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
• The main threats to public security
• Caribbean Security- A Historical Perspective
• CARICOMs response to the threats
• New Architecture to manage Crime and Security
• Current regional security initiatives
• Challenges facing the Caribbean Sub-Region
• The Way Forward

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TRANSIT ZONE
TRANSIT ZONE
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Caribbean SECURITY - A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

• National-based security focus and included
  bilateral security cooperation except for RSS
  (MOU in 82 Treaty in 96)
• Collaborating with Intl Partners with different
  agendas
• ACCP, CCLEC, CFATF, CICAD, EU, UNODC
• Barbados Plan of Action May 1996
• Hemispheric Security Strategy Oct 1996
• Bridgetown Declaration May 1997
• EU/LAC Cooperation in Security 1999
• Third Border Initiative 2001
• US strategic perspective of Principle of Defence
  in Depth Bilateral ship-rider Agreements

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REGIONAL TASK FORCE ON CRIME AND SECURITY

• Mandate
• Examine the main causes of crime
• Recommendations for a coordinated response
• Composition
• Reps from Member States
• ACCP, RSS,CCLEC, CFATF, UWI and Sects.
• Chaired by TT
• Reported in July 2002

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CAUSES OF CRIME AND VIOLENCE

• Poverty
• Unemployment
• Social marginalization and inequality
• Illegal drug trade
• Corruption
• Trafficking in illegal firearms
• Deportation of criminals
• Ineffectiveness of the criminal justice systems

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CRIME PREVENTION STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK

• Primary Prevention systematic treatment of root
  causes
• Progs of poverty alleviation and reintegration of
  marginalized communities
• Secondary Prevention - make communities more
  resilient to criminality
• Reducing opportunities for crime
• Tertiary Prevention Strengthening institutions
  responsible for responding to crime
• Provision of improved training, technology,
  equipment Police Prison reform etc

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CHALLENGES OF IMPLEMENTATION

• Absence of a clear regional political mandate
• Limited implementation capacity
• Access to resources
• Uncoordinated intl support
• No clear national crime security strategy
• No clear regional security strategy

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FRAMEWORK FOR MANAGING REGIONAL CRIME AND
SECURITY
CONFERENCE OF HEADS OF GOVERNMENT
PRIME MINISTER RESPONSIBLE FOR REGIONAL SECURITY
Ministerial Sub Committee On Resource
Mobilisation and Implementation
Council of Ministers Responsible for National
Security and Law Enforcement
Security Policy Advisory Committee (SEPAC)
Implementation Agency for Crime And Security
(IMPACS)
CIMA
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CURRENT SECURITY INITIATIVES

• Advanced passenger and cargo info system (APIS
  ACIS) under JRCC
• Intelligence sharing through RIFC
• Regional integrated ballistic information network
  (RIBIN)
• The Treaty on Security Assistance
• COPACS
• Regional Investigative Management Systems (RIMS)
• Legislative reform
• Arrest Warrant Treaty
• Maritime and Airspace Cooperation Agreement
• Initiating wider Caribbean Military Cooperation

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WIDER CARIBBEAN MILITARY COOPERATION

• Maritime and Airspace Security Cooperation
• Disaster Preparedness and Response
• Interconnectivity of systems and existing
  mechanisms
• Training and capacity building
• Cooperation in managing major events security
  e.g. V-SOA CHOGM in 09
• Cooperation in info int sharing
• Formalizing CARICOM-JIATF South relationship
• Conduct of joint multilateral command estimate on
  the illegal trafficking issues affecting the
  Region
• Formation of working groups to address results of
  the command estimate
• Identification of available resources available
  to counter illegal trafficking in the Region

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CHALLENGES FACING CARIBBEAN SUB-REGION

• Limited security cooperation between CARICOM, the
  wider Caribbean and Latin America
• Lack of awareness of security challenges and
  perspectives of wider Caribbean and LA neighbours
• Language barriers
• Absence of communication channels

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THE WAY FORWARD

• Identification of hemispheric and wider Caribbean
  security platforms for engagement at the
  political, administrative and operational levels
• Review status of bilateral MOU between CARICOM
  States and LA Partners
• Focus on information and intelligence sharing
• Maritime and air space security

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• THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK!