The Bahamas Government Receives Over $2M in U.S. Funding to Strengthen Counternarcotics and Drug Demand Reduction Efforts

NASSAU, Bahamas – To mark the conclusion of the U.S.-Bahamas Partnership Dialogue held December 17-18, 2012, senior officials from the United States Government and the Government of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas gathered in the Cabinet Office located on Rawson’s Square to sign an Amendment to the Letter of Agreement (ALOA) on Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement.

The agreement provide over $2.1 million in U.S. government funding to support activities and programs designed to bolster Bahamian law enforcement and counternarcotics efforts.

On hand for the signing ceremony on Tuesday December 18 were the Prime Minister of The Bahamas, The Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie, the Minister of National Security, The Hon. Dr. Bernard Nottage and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, The Hon. Fredrick Mitchell and the head of the U.S. delegation, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Liliana Ayalde.

The signing concluded with the issuance of an official Joint Statement outlining the achievements of the Partnership Dialogue and agreed upon next steps, including a meeting in the Spring of 2013 to review progress and continue to develop the initiatives explored during the past two days.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary, Liliana Ayalde, traveled to The Bahamas with a team of U.S. government policy and security experts under the direction of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Her team included representatives from the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Department of Defense and the U.S. Coast Guard.

These delegates were charged with developing a clear understanding of the needs and priorities of the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas with a focus on narcotics smuggling, trafficking of illegal firearms, illegal migration, trafficking in persons, maritime domain awareness, crime prevention, and community security.

Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie opened the first day of the U.S.-Bahamas Partnership Dialogue, which included senior government officials representing The Bahamas’ Ministry of National Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs.

The Prime Minister recognized the close connection between The Bahamas and the United States, and welcomed the high-level delegation from the United States. He also underscored the serious challenges faced by The Bahamas as a consequence of illicit trafficking in firearms and stressed the urgency of The Bahamas and the United States arriving at mechanisms to disrupt the illegal trade in firearms.

At the close of Monday’s session, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary Ayalde emphasized that the Dialogue underscored the close ties that exist between The Bahamas and the United States and a commitment to build on the two countries’ strong historic foundations. She also stressed the significance of convening the high-level meeting to examine existing cooperation efforts, share information on security-related trends in the region, and discuss ways to increase the effectiveness of joint responses to transnational security threats.

The two-day Dialogue offered an opportunity to review the current bilateral partnership with a goal of identifying emerging threats to both countries, strengthening existing security mechanisms, concluding negotiations on pending agreements, formalizing new areas of potential cooperation and seeking how new avenues through the partnership dialogue can be enhanced. The Dialogue’s outcomes will play a central role in continuing coordinated bilateral law enforcement, maritime and national security efforts.

The ALOA, which was signed by Minister Mitchell on the second day of the Dialogue on Tuesday, includes funding made available through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), a shared commitment between the United States and the nations of the Caribbean to reduce illicit trafficking, increase public safety and security, and promote social justice in the region. Through the ALOA, the U.S. government will provide The Bahamas government with $2,135,000 in funding to support of a number of projects and initiatives designed to strengthen The Bahamas’ counternarcotics control capabilities and drug demand reduction efforts.

New projects under the ALOA include support to the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s (RBPF) Training College’s Information Communication Technology (ICT) center for the purchasing of instructional tools, an updated computer lab, and classroom upgrades. Funds from the ALOA will also support training for the Training College’s instructors, administrators, and personnel as well as physical upgrades to kennels in partnership with U.S. canine training resources.

As community policing is at the heart of The Bahamas government’s Urban Renewal 2.0 initiative, funds from the ALOA will also support training on community policing techniques, opportunities for information sharing on successful community policing efforts in the region, and equipment for use by police in communities throughout New Providence and the Family Islands.

Funding from the ALOA will also be used for the joint Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Reform initiative, a five year project designed to increase local capability to investigate and prosecute crimes. The goal of the program will be to develop more efficient and effective investigative and prosecutorial techniques to bring down criminal networks through task forces targeting cybercrimes, gangs, trafficking in persons, or complex fraud.

To mark the conclusion of the U.S.-Bahamas Partnership Dialogue held December 17-18, 2012, senior officials from the United States Government and the Government of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas gathered in the Cabinet Office located on Rawson’s Square to sign an Amendment to the Letter of Agreement (ALOA) on Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement. The agreement provide over $2.1 million in U.S. government funding to support activities and programs designed to bolster Bahamian law enforcement and counternarcotics efforts.

On hand for the signing ceremony on Tuesday December 18 were the Prime Minister of The Bahamas, The Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie, the Minister of National Security, The Hon. Dr. Bernard Nottage and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, The Hon. Fredrick Mitchell and the head of the U.S. delegation, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Liliana Ayalde. The signing concluded with the issuance of an official Joint Statement outlining the achievements of the Partnership Dialogue and agreed upon next steps, including a meeting in the Spring of 2013 to review progress and continue to develop the initiatives explored during the past two days.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary, Liliana Ayalde, traveled to The Bahamas with a team of U.S. government policy and security experts under the direction of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Her team included representatives from the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Department of Defense and the U.S. Coast Guard. These delegates were charged with developing a clear understanding of the needs and priorities of the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas with a focus on narcotics smuggling, trafficking of illegal firearms, illegal migration, trafficking in persons, maritime domain awareness, crime prevention, and community security.

Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie opened the first day of the U.S.-Bahamas Partnership Dialogue, which included senior government officials representing The Bahamas’ Ministry of National Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs. The Prime Minister recognized the close connection between The Bahamas and the United States, and welcomed the high-level delegation from the United States. He also underscored the serious challenges faced by The Bahamas as a consequence of illicit trafficking in firearms and stressed the urgency of The Bahamas and the United States arriving at mechanisms to disrupt the illegal trade in firearms.

At the close of Monday’s session, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary Ayalde emphasized that the Dialogue underscored the close ties that exist between The Bahamas and the United States and a commitment to build on the two countries’ strong historic foundations. She also stressed the significance of convening the high-level meeting to examine existing cooperation efforts, share information on security-related trends in the region, and discuss ways to increase the effectiveness of joint responses to transnational security threats.

The two-day Dialogue offered an opportunity to review the current bilateral partnership with a goal of identifying emerging threats to both countries, strengthening existing security mechanisms, concluding negotiations on pending agreements, formalizing new areas of potential cooperation and seeking how new avenues through the partnership dialogue can be enhanced. The Dialogue’s outcomes will play a central role in continuing coordinated bilateral law enforcement, maritime and national security efforts.

The ALOA, which was signed by Minister Mitchell on the second day of the Dialogue on Tuesday, includes funding made available through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), a shared commitment between the United States and the nations of the Caribbean to reduce illicit trafficking, increase public safety and security, and promote social justice in the region. Through the ALOA, the U.S. government will provide The Bahamas government with $2,135,000 in funding to support of a number of projects and initiatives designed to strengthen The Bahamas’ counternarcotics control capabilities and drug demand reduction efforts.

New projects under the ALOA include support to the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s (RBPF) Training College’s Information Communication Technology (ICT) center for the purchasing of instructional tools, an updated computer lab, and classroom upgrades. Funds from the ALOA will also support training for the Training College’s instructors, administrators, and personnel as well as physical upgrades to kennels in partnership with U.S. canine training resources.

As community policing is at the heart of The Bahamas government’s Urban Renewal 2.0 initiative, funds from the ALOA will also support training on community policing techniques, opportunities for information sharing on successful community policing efforts in the region, and equipment for use by police in communities throughout New Providence and the Family Islands.

Funding from the ALOA will also be used for the joint Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Reform initiative, a five year project designed to increase local capability to investigate and prosecute crimes. The goal of the program will be to develop more efficient and effective investigative and prosecutorial techniques to bring down criminal networks through task forces targeting cybercrimes, gangs, trafficking in persons, or complex fraud.