NASSAU, The Bahamas – Bahamian Police Commissioner Paul Farquharson on Wednesday (May 23) urged officials of regional and international law enforcement and private security agencies to adopt approaches for greater cooperation and collaboration to meet the “realities and challenges” facing their countries.
Commissioner Farquharson said such collaboration and cooperation would play a lead role in the effort to provide an efficient and effective service “to our various constituents.”
The officials are in New Providence attending the 22nd Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP), which opened Wednesday at the Wyndham Nassau Resort.
The official opening ceremony took place on Thursday, May 24, and was addressed by Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Hubert A. Ingraham and Minister of National Security the Hon. O.A.T. “Tommy” Turnquest.
Commissioner Farquharson said the world has indeed become a global village and that criminals have embarked upon a unification scheme which allows for the swift movement of notorious activities and their associated proceeds.
“We must strive to reach beyond the boundaries of our sovereign nations and our individual organizations to form alliances against the criminal networks that plague our societies,” Commissioner Farquharson said.
“It has also been our experience that the private security sector has continued to play a vital role in supporting the activities and operations of the law enforcement community. They must therefore become more integrated as an equal partner in the law enforcement and security community,” he added.
Commissioner Farquharson, who serves as President of the ACCP, said he has “no doubt” that the acquaintances formed during the conference, will develop into lasting relationships which will serve the best interests of law enforcement and security communities within the region.
He referred to an exchange agreement between the Royal Bahamas Police Force and the United States Virgin Islands Police Department in which two officers from the RBPF were sent to the USVI and two officers from the USVI visited The Bahamas, as an ideal model for countries within the ACCP to emulate.
The agreement between Commissioner Farquharson and then Commissioner Elton Lewis came about as a result of a decision made by the ACCP to promote exchange programs within the region.
“That experience was most rewarding, not only for the officers themselves, but the two countries that participated,” Commissioner Farquharson said. “We want to encourage that kind of exchange program.”
He said the Commissioners of the ACCP have “embraced the challenges” of policing this global village and that as a result, the 2007 conference has transcended all previous boundaries.
He said the ACCP has partnered with international policing organizations to “better prepare us for policing today.”
Commissioner Farquharson said the key objectives of the meeting and conference are to engage law enforcement and private security executives in discussions on a probing, functional cooperation and collaboration initiative; to create strategic partnerships between and among law enforcement and security agencies for more effective performance and to develop strategies for the enhancement of cooperation and collaboration among national, regional and international law enforcement and security agencies.
He said the meeting and conference will also seek to emphasize the importance of the responsibility of law enforcement officials and security professionals for the general well-being and development of “our individual societies.”
Nineteen Commissioners of Police from throughout the region are in New Providence attending the conference.
Also present are officials and members from the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), the Association of Chiefs of Police of Central America and the Caribbean, Interpol, the Association of Private Security Agencies, the Caribbean Association of Women Police (CAWP) and the School Security and Resource Officers Programme, in addition to executives of the various Police Federations/Staff Associations.
