OCHO RIOS, Jamaica – Jamaica’s National Security Minister, Senator Colonel Trevor MacMillan, has said that the country is making breakthroughs in the ‘Guns for Drugs’ trade between Jamaica and Haiti.
“We continue to believe that this is the source of much of the illegal arms in this country. We will, therefore, be maintaining our vigilance and are employing new strategies to break the back of this problem,” Colonel MacMillan said on February 12, at the opening of the 12th Joint Meeting of the CARICOM Standing Committees of Commissioners of Police and Military Chiefs.
The two-day forum, currently underway in Ocho Rios St. Ann, at the Sunset Jamaica Grande Resort, concludes on February 13.
“In 2007 and 2008, the security forces in Jamaica seized more than 1,200 guns smuggled into Jamaica from Haiti,” the Minister informed.
“There is a link between many Haitians who are in Jamaica legally and illegally and the operatives in the southern part of Haiti, and this remains a major threat to the security of the country,” he said, adding that work is in progress with the Haitian authorities to tackle the problem.
Pointing to networking in the region, the Minister said that it is imperative that the countries intensify their Regional Information and Intelligence Sharing Network, and informed that Jamaica is in the process of enacting anti-corruption legislation.
“The legislation makes provision for the appointment of a Special Prosecutor, who will be empowered to enforce the laws against persons engaged in corrupt and questionable activities. The administration in which I serve has promised the Whistle Blower legislation. That is forthcoming. The draft document has been subjected to intense scrutiny,” he said.
He urged security strategists to stay ahead of the game, noting that circumstances demanded that they harness the latest in technologies for the development of a crime grid for member states.
“As we look to the future, we are seeking to develop the conditions which enable our people to participate in the development of the region and contribute to building and strengthening public institutions. Institutions that not only serve the needs and preserve the rights of all citizens, but also represent trans-generational social pillars that secure our future,” he said.
