Kingsley Irish
Friday, October 14, 2011
The United States is injecting US$77 million into the Caribbean to assist in the fight against rising crime and violence in region. The funds were donated under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) launched last year.
The CBSI is a shared regional security partnership between CARICOM member states, the Dominican Republic and the United States.
Three core objectives to deal with the development threats facing the Caribbean were identified: reduce illicit trafficking through programmes ranging from counter narcotics to reducing the flow of illegal arms/light weapons; advance public safety and security through programmes ranging from reducing crime and violence to improving border security; and promote social justice through programmes designed to promote justice sector reform, combat government corruption, and assist vulnerable populations at risk of recruitment into criminal organizations.
The United States is also working with its CBSI partners to promote effective prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of financial crimes, including money laundering terrorism financing and public corruption.
Julissa Reynoso, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Central America and the Caribbean, Bureau of Western hemisphere Affairs, United States Department of State, announced that in the next few months, high-speed interdiction boats and relevant equipment as part of the US Secure Seas Effort would be delivered to the Eastern Caribbean, Guyana & Suriname. Similar boats have also been given to The Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica as part of a broader regional maritime security programme.
Training on integration of information into national databases, regional border interdiction exercises and border enforcement training for fifty CARICOM customs, immigration and police officers are also planned for the coming months. In the area of promoting social justice, Reynoso stated that the partnership was supporting education and youth workforce development including youth entrepreneurship.
She said, "We are expanding our youth workforce development projects in the six OECS countries and in Suriname."
Photo Credit to CCPI
