THE REGIONAL SECURITY System (RSS) Asset Recovery Unit (ARU) and the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) are cooperating to professionalise financial investigations.
According to an official, both institutions are delivering standardised training courses within a process of continued professional development which leads to accreditation. This collaboration has resulted in a two-week specialist Financial Investigation training, which ends on Friday, January 20, at the Hotel Pommarine, Hastings.
The subjects covered included open source intelligence – using the internet and social media to gather information about suspects; investigating offshore companies and trusts; and the practical application of the law relating to the confiscation of criminal assets. They also received input from French and United States law enforcement agencies to increase cooperation between the different investigative units working in the Caribbean region.
Participants were drawn from the dedicated financial investigation units from the British Overseas Territories. Two officers from the Royal St Lucia Police Force; and one from the Royal St Christopher and Nevis Police Force, also attended the training.
The RSS ARU is an innovative approach to tackling serious organised crime in the Caribbean common law jurisdictions, through partnerships and the robust application of proceeds of crime and money laundering legislation. The organisation is funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development.
The RSS ARU comprises regional and international expertise, and the unit is based at the purpose-built International Law Enforcement Fusion Centre at the RSS’ Headquarters at Paragon, Christ Church.
The unit’s objective is to build capacity within regional law enforcement agencies, Financial Intelligence Units, and among public prosecutors, the Magistracy and the Judiciary. It seeks to enhance their efforts in countering serious organised crime by utilising cash seizure, money laundering and confiscation legislation in financial investigation and criminal asset recovery. (RSS/BGIS)