THE Ministry of Home Affairs disclosed yesterday that several officials attended, or are attending, training and other programmes overseas.

They include from:
* Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) Technical Officer Sanjay Shew who participated in the 20th Annual Regional Drug Commanders Conference on March 3, in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.That conference identified strategies to combat illegal drug trafficking and develop cooperation among managers, primarily focusing on conducting criminal investigations and collecting intelligence on major trafficking
organisations operating within the Caribbean.
* Mr. James Singh, Head, Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) who took part in the ‘Annual Project Latitude Conference’ from March 4 to 6, in St. Lucia. That forum focused on continued initiative to promote closer regional work and build on the regional knowledge of trafficking by pleasure craft. It also provided for the sharing of experiences and discussing future targeting.

Police Force

* From the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Detective Sergeant 156161 Sherlock Houston of the Criminal Investigation Department who was part of a ‘Training Course on Drug Trafficking for Police Officers’ from March 3 to 14, in Italy.
It dealt with the development of contrasting techniques against drug trafficking.
Detective Corporal 19172 Mahendra Thuknauth, also of the CID, who was in attendance at the ‘Precursor Chemicals Course’ from March 10 to 21 in Jamaica. That provided a full understanding of such chemicals, how they are diverted into illegal markets and the manufacturing process of illegal drugs. The participants were also educated on the regional and international laws and regulations governing the movement and enforcement controls of those chemicals and the implications for money laundering and asset forfeiture.
Police Superintendent Errol Watts was at an international conference themed ‘Policing by Consent’ from March 17 to 20 in Kerala, India.
Its focus was on the sharing of related experiences and research findings.
Detective Corporal 18811Quanza Bagot attended an ‘Advanced Narcotics Investigation Course’ from April 28 to May 9 in Jamaica. That was designed to give a full understanding of the techniques used in drug law enforcement, thereby enhancing drug enforcement officers’ ability to conduct thorough professional investigations.
Corporal 16630 Handel Moses attended the ‘Second Regional Armoury Management Training Course’ for Caribbean States, from April 28 to May 9, in Trinidad and Tobago. It was aimed at bolstering the capacity of
Government armourers in the specific technical skills and management processes necessary for the safe, effective and efficient accounting, inspection, repair, maintenance, storage, security and destruction of firearms and ammunition.
Acting Police Commissoner, Seelall Persaud (DSM), attended the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police 29th Annual General Meeting and Conference from April 28 to May 1, in Trinidad and Tobago. That gathering brought together policy makers, technocrats and practitioners to discuss a more collaborative and cooperative approach to law enforcement related issues and share experiences and initiatives
undertaken.

Prison Service

* From the Guyana Prison Service (GPS), Chief Officer Gornall George, Acting Chief Officer Christine George and Cadet Officer Deoraj Guyandat attended a ‘Corrections Institutional Management Course’ from March 23 to 29, in Nebraska, United States. It was geared towards increasing capacity to operate juvenile detention facilities that are safe, secure, humane and transparent.
* And from Ministry of Home Affairs, Coordinator, Task Force on Fuel Smuggling and Contraband Floyd Mc Donald (DSM) attended the ‘Preparatory Conference for the Eleventh Conference of Defence Ministries of the
Americas’ from March 6 to 7 in Peru.
Research Officer Tabitha Barnwell was in attendance at the ‘Regional Conference for the Americas on the Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development’ from April 28 to 30,
in La Antigua, Guatemala. The latter discussed the integration of armed violence reduction and prevention into national, regional and international development processes.