Yesterday’s US-Caricom meetings discussed citizen security co-operation and the importance of building safe communities that contribute to a favourable business and investment climate, the White House Press Service said yesterday. It noted that US Vice-President Joe Biden discussed the US’ commitment to deepening economic collaboration and expanding prosperity and social inclusion in the region.
Working together, via the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), a Barack Obama administration plan, the US and regional partnership targets substantially reducing illicit trafficking, increasing public safety and security and promoting social justice. The US committed $203 million in funding for the initiative’s first three years. Aspects include maritime and aerial security co-operation, law enforcement capacity building, border/port security and firearms interdiction, youth development/crime prevention.
The statement noted that CBSI’s support contributed to several contraband interdictions, resulting in high levels of seizures and eradication efforts over the last few months in the region, including T&T.
“Homicides are also down as a result of successful CBSI-supported counter-trafficking efforts and combating other crimes in the region. St Kitts and Nevis, which once had one of the highest per capita rates of homicides in the hemisphere, now boasts a reduction in homicides by more than 50 per cent from 2011 to 2012 and a 30 per cent reduction for the first quarter of 2013,” the US stated.
CBSI assistance includes building capacity among investigators and prosecutors to target criminal asset forfeiture and financial crimes and supporting anti-corruption training for over 1,300 anti-corruption investigators and other law enforcement officials, resulting in the arrests and prosecutions of police officers suspected of corruption, money laundering and other financial crimes, it noted.
CBSI assistance also resulted in 100 arrests and the seizure of over 120 vehicles, hundreds of computers and cellphones and tens of millions of dollars from lotto scam operations. During yesterday’s visit, Biden signed the US-Caricom Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, providing a framework and principles for dialogue on trade and investment issues of mutual interest.
Biden and Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar also discussed a recently-signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to advance co-operation on the scientific, technical and policy aspects of energy efficiency and clean energy technologies. The MOU establishes a Renewable Energy Research Centre to promote rapid deployment of critical technologies for renewable energy and energy efficiency deployment in the Caribbean.