The Ministry of Home Affairs and other stakeholders recently participated in a sensitisation and training session on the National Drug Information Network aimed at assisting authorities in obtaining intelligence on drug trafficking.
According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica and Haiti are the other territories under consideration for the improvement of the information base to combat drug trafficking and abuse. The meeting, held at the ministry, drew stakeholders from the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit, the Food and Drug Department of the Ministry of Health, Caricom, the Salvation Army, Phoenix Recovery Programme and the Ministry of Education.
According to GINA, Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee said he was confident that the workshop will help considerably to assist government agencies and technical personnel in establishing information systems to tackle drugs.
The assembly followed a previous meeting in St Vincent and the Grenadines and according to Rohee, was held in support of the government’s National Drug Strategy Master Plan for which several agencies were given tasks. The plan was launched in 2005 and despite differing views, Rohee said, covers all aspects of the fight against drugs. At a mid-year review stakeholders agreed that it was 70% successful, he added.
Rohee also said government intends to make the plan priority on its agenda. He said too there is need for multi-sectoral strengthening and financing, which remain challenging areas. The minister chastised the donor community for not being as forthcoming “as it ought to be in the fight against narco-trafficking.”
According to GINA, the plan entails legislative requirements dealing with narcotics, money laundering and the Food and Drug Act with relevant regulations. Some of its achievements include the computerisation of the Immigration and Criminal Investigation Departments, strengthening of health and family life education and ratification of international agreements/convention. A modern forensic lab and several rehabilitation centres will also be set up. GINA said the plan aims to “foster institutional, participatory democratic approaches towards the achievement of a crime free and healthy society, founded on the principles of social justice, rule of law and respect for authority.”
Organisation of American States (OAS) representative Denis Moses told the gathering that reliable and up-to-date information is necessary to assist OAS members to pursue specific and more efficient methods of combatting the illegal drug trade. The devastating effects of drug abuse, the illegal drug trade and its impact on the health of citizens of the OAS continue to be challenging and require a multilateral response.
Additionally, the OAS representative said he was confident that the group is well positioned to meet its challenge. Moses said, “We at the OAS are encouraged and are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate and assist in the modest ways as we can so as to allow member countries, Guyana included, to advance combating this scourge of illegal drugs and trafficking.” CICAD has also been collaborating with the Home Ministry on a number of programmes including, recently, aviation security and crisis management.
GINA said Coordinator of the National Drug Information Network Errol Vannooten and Research Specialist at CICAD Pernell Clarke also attended the session.