Regional crime response unit for discussion by ministers

Enhanced use of technology in the fight against crime and the introduction of a regional response unit topped the list of outcomes from last week’s three-day meeting of the region’s security chiefs which concluded on Friday at the Grand Coastal Inn on the East Coast.

In a statement issued on Saturday the security officials said that the outcomes of the meeting, including the possibility of introducing a regional response capacity and the enhanced use of technology to support law enforcement, will inform the Crime and Security discussions due to take place at the meeting of the Caricom Council of Ministers responsible for National Security and Law Enforcement. This meeting will be followed by the Special Summit of the heads of Caricom on Regional Security, both scheduled to take place in Trinidad and Tobago in April, 2008. The statement did not go into detail as to what exactly was recommended, although it noted that among the general issues reviewed were the proliferation, trafficking and use of firearms and drugs; kidnapping, murders, gangs and maritime piracy.