Law enforcement across the region stands to receive a major boost with the establishment of an INTERPOL Caribbean Liaison Office.
It was officially launched today with the signing of the formal agreement between the Government of Barbados and INTERPOL, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Culloden Road, St Michael offices.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Dr Jerome Walcott, signed on behalf of the Government and INTERPOL was represented by executive director of Police Services, Stephen Kavanagh.
Walcott said the office would support the 15 CARICOM member states, as well as the five CARICOM associate members Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos. The office is also set to service Aruba, Cuba, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Puerto Rico and Dutch Sint Maarten.
“The office will develop collaborative efforts throughout CARICOM IMPACS, to underpin national and regional efforts, to screen incoming passengers against INTERPOL stolen and lost travel documents and other databases in light of the limited human and material resources available in the region for this purpose,” he said.
He added there would be increased opportunities to use INTERPOL to improve policing capabilities and develop training and capacity building for areas of crime.
“The INTERPOL Liaison Office will collaborate closely with CARICOM IMPACS in support of law enforcement investigations, border management operations, screening of travel documents and will see training of regional security personnel on INTERPOL’s systems, processes, and capabilities,” he said.
The establishment of an INTERPOL Caribbean Liaison Office was approved by the Conference of Heads of Government in July 2013. In November 2018, at INTERPOL’s 87th session of its General Assembly, the INTERPOL Caribbean Liaison Office received unanimous approval.
The INTERPOL office is set to be housed in Barbados at the Joint Regional Communications Centre, a sub-agency of CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS). (RA)
