— OAS, CARICOM top officials warn
TWO leading regional officials have warned that the upsurge of crime in countries in the region is major cause for concern and has to urgently be addressed by governments and other stakeholders.

The calls came yesterday from Organisation of American States Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin and Caribbean Community Secretary General Dr Edwin Carrington at a regional conference called by the government of St. Kitts and Nevis.

Ramdin warned that the growing prevalence and severity of crime in member states is cause for major concern and cannot be left unchecked.

“If our countries are to progress toward sustained and sustainable development, the issue of crime and violence has to be faced head on” he told the opening of the conference.

The conference is under the theme “Confronting the Challenges of Youth Crime and Violence in Society: Defining a Multi-Sectoral Response.”

Host Prime Minister Denzil Douglas and Prime Minister Patrick Manning of Trinidad and Tobago also addressed the opening ceremony.

Carrington said there is an urgency for grappling with the upsurge in crime and violence and for arriving at a viable response.

“In one form or another and in spite of our best efforts, the member states of our community continue to be confronted by awesome challenges from crime and violence”, he said.

He added that crime and the public insecurity which they breed have become persistent social challenges that impact negatively on the economic growth and development of the societies.

Carrington noted that in Caribbean societies, youths have been in gangs since time immemorial but the difference today is the violent nature of the association with drugs and the access to guns.

“That factor raises the question of the proliferation of illegal firearms. Firearms are products not manufactured in the community. It also raises the question of how to effectively reduce access to, as well as, the use and abuse of illicit drugs”, he said.

“What our societies are faced with is an on-going scourge that is decimating our young men at an alarming rate in certain member states”, he said, adding that CARICOM may have to revisit the recommendations of a task force to glean if any of these could be applied to this “increasingly untenable situation.”

The OAS said that noting that crime and violence represent pressing social, development and governance challenges for the governments and people of the region, Mr. Ramdin called for shared responsibility and greater coordination to address the problem.

“An effective approach to confronting and reversing the rise in crime and violence cannot be only government-centric. If we are to make inroads to reducing and preventing violence our approach should be comprehensive and include all stakeholders in society: government, legislative bodies, judiciary, law enforcement, schools, the business community, non-governmental organisations, religious organisations, and youth groups,” he said.

He further observed that it is important to address not only the symptoms of crime and violence but also to analyse and address the underlying structural causes of these problems.

In this regard, Ramdin emphasised the importance of promoting a culture of peace and non-violence as an intrinsic part of the development and democracy agenda.

Advancing an innovative approach, he pointed out that the “fracturing of our societies as a result of violence calls for a committed effort to advance a process of social cohesion within countries and throughout the region.”

He called on ministers of government, heads of regional law enforcement agencies, representatives of international organisations and civil society organisations attending the conference to “transcend differences and embrace initiatives and best practices that work.”

He also highlighted the leading role which the OAS has played by fostering the emergence of regional security mechanisms and the creation of spaces for dialogue and coordination among countries, and the organisation’s ongoing commitment to accompany the process.

In addition, he mentioned a recently launched OAS initiative which aims to establish a regional Caribbean Observatory on Gangs.