A major drug interdiction earlier this year is being touted as one of the successes of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) for Guyana and a US State Department official yesterday assured of his government’s commitment to the continuing partnership with Caricom member states and the Dominican Republic.
At a press conference to conclude the Fourth Meeting of the CBSI Commission, held at the Guyana International Conference Centre, at Liliendaal, officials noted that the initiative has seen benefits to Guyana and the other states, especially in the areas of providing training for at-risk youth and boosting the capacity of security agencies.
Guyana and the other partners have seen the fruits of the initiative as demonstrated by a major drug interdiction following the implementation of a port security initiative in partnership with the United Nations Drug Control Policy, United States Ambassador Brent Hardt told reporters at the wrap up of the two-day meeting.
He was referring to the discovery of 359.8 kilos of cocaine in a container destined for Holland in February this year. The container in which the packaged cocaine was uncovered had been sitting at a city wharf for several days although abnormalities were picked up during scanning by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). Two persons were subsequently charged. Since then there have been a number of small interdictions of cocaine, the ambassador also said.
According to Hardt, training provided to officers of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) and members of the Guyana Police Force is also evidence that the programme has been effective. “We are seeing a great number of drug interdictions,” Hardt said of Guyana.
The two-day meeting of the commission was meant to assess the work done so far on all of the working groups set up under the CBSI.
Speaking at the press conference, Astonia Browne, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of National Security in St Kitts and Nevis, said the meeting was successful and stakeholders identified areas that required improvement.
According to her, some projects that were discussed at the meeting included Advanced Fingerprinting Information System (AFIS), Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS), Regional Integrated Ballistics Information Network (RIBIN), and Counter Arms Trafficking and Crime Prevention Efforts in relation to at-risk youth.
Browne stated that one of the aims of CBSI is crime prevention and that there was a focus on deterring at-risk youth from becoming involved in criminal activity, while helping them to develop vocational skills. She said that among the successes of the CBSI are cocaine seizures across Caricom Member States, training of police personnel and the provision of fast boats to help curtail maritime criminal activities.
Also speaking at the closing press conference, Juan Alsace, Director of the Office of Caribbean Affairs at the US Department of State said that the United States is committed to the partnership as is demonstrated by bipartisan support for its funding at a time when many budget restrictions are taking place.
Alsace said in order to tackle crime effectively in the region, a careful husbanding of resources from the US and the region is required. He said areas of improvement identified at the meeting included a more efficient use of resources, information sharing and the establishment of minimum standards across the region.
He said further that the CBSI needed a holistic “whole government” approach, with commitment from both the US government and Caricom Member States and the Dominican Republic. He also outlined that to date the US government had dedicated US$263 million to the project over the past four years, of which $60 million was dedicated in 2013.
“Our conversations touched on many issues of law enforcement, such as high risk youth and information sharing,” he said, while adding that these conversations will continue at the level of the political leadership of the partner states at a meeting to be held in Washington DC on December 5 and 6.
Alsace said that only a percentage of the funding has been spent and said that there has been real success on the programme dealing with at-risk youths
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs Angela Johnson said the Guyana projects under the CBSI were proceeding in a satisfactory manner. She stressed that government recognises the importance of the CBSI to the crime and security efforts of Guyana. She said the government was spending significant sums in the security sector and the efforts of the US in the CBSI will complement this. She said the training of law enforcement officers through the project will enhance their capacity. She also noted the successes the programme has had with at-risk youth.
