Criminals will no longer have ‘safe harbours’ in other CARICOM territories.
That’s the warning from Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley speaking at CARICOM’s 2nd Regional Symposium on treating with Crime as a Public Health Issue in Guyana on Friday.
According to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley legislation has been developed to facilitate the harmonisation of laws across the region, most notably the ‘CARICOM Arrest Warrant Bill’.
Earlier in February at the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in Guyana, Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell noted the difficulty for law enforcement to apprehend and return a criminal if they are ‘wanted’ in their homeland, but find themselves in another CARICOM island.
Speaking at the 2nd Crime Symposium held in Guyana on Friday, Dr Rowley confirmed that such a law has been approved by CARICOM and could soon be implemented.
“Our little criminal punks must now know that every CARICOM territory the law applies to them equally, well as soon as we implement the laws that with respect to warrants for their restrained apprehension, in anticipation of successful prosecution that there are no safe harbours in any of our current territories.”
Dr Rowley also added that a ‘Caribbean Gang Database’ is also underway, which could see cooperation among regional law enforcement agencies. And the Prime Minister said recent cooperation with the United States has seen progress in slowing the flow of firearms in the region.
“That there have been a number of US generated initiatives, not the least of which the crime gun development approach with US authorities and the establishment of the illicit trafficking crimes up north and the making of new legislation to allow Federal agencies to treat with trans state cross-border trafficking these developments are helping us. To slow the flow of arms to our territories and to identify the perpetrators and facilitators.”
Dr Rowley said CARICOM has also approved the Advance Passenger Information, and Passenger Name Record Bill, both of which provide a foundation for efficient cross-border cooperation.