TWENTY-FOUR persons drawn from the Guyana Police Force, Guyana Forensic Laboratory, Ministry of Legal Affairs, and the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions will be certified upon completion of a three-day specialized training course to make them more equipped to combat the illicit trafficking in firearms, ammunition and explosives.

The three-day training programme, which is being held at the Police Officers Training Centre, Eve Leary, is sponsored by the government of the United States of America in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Legal Affairs.

Juliet Solomon, Senior Programme Officer, Senior Programme Director (Caribbean) for the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in welcoming remarks, Wednesday, highlighted Guyana’s cooperation in the organisation of the course and the US government’s role in funding the initiative.

MAJOR SECURITY CONCERNS
She noted that in recent years the number of firearms in circulation and their devastating, improper and illegal use represents one of the biggest security concerns for many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Solomon said that the direct and indirect human material cost represents a significant portion of the gross domestic product of states in this Region.

She pointed out that easy access to illicit weapons and ammunition and explosives and related trafficking affects the livelihood of communities well beyond national borders and it is also closely linked to other illegal activities in drug and human trafficking and organised crime.
PERSISTENT CHALLENGE
Combating and eradicating illicit manufacturing of firearms, ammunition and explosives is therefore one of the most persistent challenges in the public security and development agenda of the United Nations, Solomon added.

She asserted that given the transnational nature of this problem, it is essential to increase international cooperation in this area. The UN Regional Human Development Report on citizen security highlights the deficit in the justice system in Latin America and the Caribbean, reflected in the alarming impunity rate, crime, and insecurity.

The diplomat explained that strengthening legal mechanisms and building security in the justice sector capacity such as ongoing training for judges and police investigators should be considered an essential tool to ensure the quality and efficiency of criminal investigation.

In order to meet the specific needs in the field of legal practitioners, UNLIREC developed this specialised training course aimed at supporting the implementation of the international firearm instruments as well as reducing impunity in firearms-related offence.

She declared the three-day course open after outlying the aim of the course in which participants were to be exposed to training in all aspects of small arms control from weapons classifications and definition, legal framework, investigative techniques, firearms proliferation, armed violence, and forensic ballistics, among others.

In other remarks, Deputy US Chief of Mission in Guyana, Bryan Hunte said that “there is no question that illicit arms trafficking is a global problem and it affects all of us, as we see most dramatically in the US at the University of Southern California, Santa Barbara, this past week gun violence is a problem that we all have to gather at the international community to combat.”

He added that the US is not in a position to lecture anyone about illicit firearms and trafficking and “I do not intend to do so and that is why we brought the experts from UNLIREC for this forum to engage directly with the stakeholders here in Guyana.”

Hunte stated that they are here to offer an international perspective that can be used collectively to investigate, to prosecute and to bring to justice those who choose to engage in gun violence and trafficking in illicit firearms and explosives.

Hunte expressed confidence that the information that is to be provided will be from a practical position and participants would leave the course better trained to put the international best practices at work.

He lauded the Guyana Government for supporting the inter-agency cooperation and would look forward to further strengthening this through collaboration.

Meanwhile, in his feature address, Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee underscored the Guyana Government’s commitment to peace, disarmament and development, adding that that has been the policy of the administration since it assumed office in 1992.

He said that while Guyana has a border controversy with Venezuela and a dispute with Suriname, there is “the need for us as a nation to maintain peace on our borders,” adding that “We have just celebrated our 48th Independence Anniversary locally and it must be noted that we have managed over the years to maintain peace on our borders.”

Rohee stated that it is a notable achievement for Guyana and so far as peace and development are concerned they go hand in hand and the developmental thrust of the Government of Guyana is clear for all to see – in all spheres of life which “are aimed at improving the livelihood of all our people.”

The minister pointed out that “development that is people-centered, that brings benefits to the people and improve the lives of our peoples are of paramount importance within the meaning of peace for us.”

(By Michel Outridge)