HOME Affairs Minister Clement Rohee was part of Guyana’s delegation to the recently concluded Twenty-Fourth Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, held in Port-au-Prince, Republic of Haiti, on February 18/19, 2013, wherein a “Regional Crime and Security Strategy” was adopted by CARICOM Heads.

The Crime and Security Strategy resulted after the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) consulted with regional security officials of CARICOM member states, as mandated by the Council of Ministers Responsible for National Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE) at its 5th Meeting.
The fourteen strategic goals of the Security Strategy are devised to mitigate and manage the security risks and threats to the region. They each build on important steps already taken, address specific security gaps, and set out strategic lines of action that guide the types of activities to be carried out in order to achieve the overarching strategic goal of taking the profit out of crime by targeting criminal assets and protecting the financial system.

*Prevent crime by addressing the causes of crime and insecurity, and increasing public awareness of the key risks.

*Establish appropriate legal instruments while ratifying existing agreements.

*Increase trans–border intelligence and information sharing.

*Enhance law enforcement and security capabilities, and strengthen regional security systems.

*Enhance maritime and airspace awareness; strengthen CARICOM borders, including continuous land borders.

*Strengthen the effectiveness of criminal investigation through modern technologies and scientific techniques.

*Strengthen CARICOM’s resilience to Cyber crime.

*Pursue functional cooperative security engagements to tackle and manage shared risks and threats.

*Strengthen the Justice Sector.

*Strengthen mechanisms against human trafficking.

*Modernise and enhance correctional services and institutions’ management.

*Improve response time to natural and Man-made disasters.

*Promote resilient critical infrastructure management and safety at major events.

The Strategy identifies and prioritizes the common security risks and threats which CARICOM member states face and are likely to face, and advances an integrated and cohesive security framework to confront those challenges. The Strategy will therefore guide the coordinated internal and external policies adopted by CARICOM member states within the meaning of their respective legal frameworks.
In preparing its submission, Guyana convened a workshop through the Ministry of Home Affairs, on June 23, 2012, to examine the draft Regional Crime and Security Strategy with representatives of the security sector. That meeting developed sixteen (16) recommendations for consideration, and those were communicated to IMPACS. Fourteen (14) of those recommendations were included in the goals of the Strategy.
The Strategy is grounded on the principles and values of democratic choice; freedom; justice; prosperity; respect for territorial integrity; respect for, and promotion of, human rights and good governance; and is aimed at significantly improving citizen’s security by creating a safe, just and free community, and improving the economic viability of the region.
Apart from the fourteen strategic goals, Heads of Government have directed that Ministers of National Security formulate with IMPACS practical initiatives to address the following: Dismantling of gangs; reducing serious and violent crimes; reducing the homicide/ murder rate, and providing technical assistance to help build capacity to investigate serious crimes.
The Regional Strategy will complement the Security Strategy launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs on December 31, 2012.
IMPACS will monitor the implementation of the Strategy and report to CONSLE accordingly.
The Home Affairs Ministry has said it welcomes this move by the Heads of Government to adopt the Strategy, which complements the local work being done to enhance security in the country.