THE TOP COPS of the Caribbean have lamented what they see as worsening murder rates in the Region and have called for the possible sitting of 24-hour courts to clear the rising backlog of cases.They have also denounced what they regard as “the constant scourge of bribe payments,” and have lamented the ongoing challenges to combat human trafficking, pointing out that this “modern day slavery” involves children as young as five years and upward from countries in Asia.

They say that “some (are sold) into servitude, (and) others (are sold) for sex (work).”

These and other worrying concerns engaged last week’s four-day 29th annual meeting of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP) in Port-of-Spain, held under the theme “Working in Partnership to Combat Transnational Organised Crime.”

In a statement released yesterday (Tues) by the Barbados-based Secretariat of the ACCP, the commissioners stressed that the Region’s murder rates were  “far too high,” recording at over 50 per 100,000 population, while a survey conducted by Transparency International has revealed “endemic corruption” in the Region.

Emphasising the old maxim that “justice delayed is justice denied” — for victim, accused, or witness — the commissioners said they have committed themselves to engaging the governments and judiciaries in the member countries of the Region to “expedite court appearances” with a view to moving towards establishing 24-hour courts in all jurisdictions.

The commissioners said they have shared “best practices” among themselves, and commended Jamaica for leadership in piloting “a real time intelligence template that identifies trends in one country, with cybercrime or ATM fraud as examples to be immediately flagged to colleagues for action.”

Together, the commissioners asked of their “key partners” to join them in seeking a renewal of “public confidence and faith in the rule of law” across the Caribbean.

(R.SINGH)