THREE new pieces of legislation are expected to be tabled in the National Assembly next Monday to aid in the strengthening of regional crime fighting.
This was disclosed by the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, during Tuesday’s episode of his weekly show, Issues in the News.
The bills include the Advanced Passenger Information and Passenger Name Record Bill, the CARICOM Arrest Warrant Bill and the Regional Security Systems Bill, all of which follow a regional model.
According to the Minister, these are pieces of legislation that will be enacted across the region. Many countries have already enacted the Regional Security Systems Bill and as Guyana recently joined the regional security system, the country will now move towards the passage of this law.

He said, “These are crime-fighting measures in legislative form and they are intended to bolster our crime-fighting capabilities, not only as a member state of CARICOM, but the entire region is expected to benefit from this.”
Giving a brief explanation, he noted that the Advanced passenger information and passenger name records bill is to keep in a central database all passengers travelling through the region and their cargo.
This information can be shared among CARICOM member states while the CARICOM arrest warrant bill is one that will allow for warrants issued in one country to be enforced seamlessly without much legal impediment in another CARICOM territory.

Earlier this year, the Minister noted that crime has been identified as a critical priority by the CARICOM heads of government.
The CARICOM Arrest Warrant Bill was introduced last year at the ‘Second Regional Symposium on Crime and Violence as a Public Health Issue.’
At that time, it was noted that the legislation aims to address cross-border crimes through standardised extradition processes across member states. This involves streamlining the procedures for handing over individuals accused or convicted of crimes to the jurisdiction where the offence occurred.