Belize Discusses Regional Security with ACCP  

Improving regional security through law enforcement cooperation was a sentiment that echoed through the room, as representatives from police forces of eighty countries met for the annual general meeting and conference of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police. This year Belize is hosting a meeting that provides an opportunity for commissioners of police from across the region to discuss strategies in tackling crime as a united front. Over the next four days, these commissioners will discuss how to address issues such as gang violence and border security, as the issues become of higher concern. News Five’s Britney Gordon was at the opening ceremony today for more information.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Gun violence, cartel and gang activity are all issues that have been of primary concern for the Caribbean region. Over the past few years, neighboring countries have observed a surge in these types of criminal activities.   In 2023, Belize enjoyed a record low crime rate, but this year has proven otherwise. At the annual conference of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police, commissioners from across the region will strategize how to quell these concerning numbers. This year’s meeting is being hosted in Belize.

 

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

 “Not just me, but I think the whole country of Belize should feel honored and privileged to be able to host this conference. As last year we hosted the AGM for the Central America Chiefs and Directors of Police in November. And so this is our second conference in eight months. It goes to show that as a police department as a country, we are progressing. Gone are the days where we see these conferences happening in other parts of the world and we are unable to bring it to our shores. And for us to have been able to do that, I think it’s a great achievement for us.”

 

Commissioner of Police Chester Williams said that Belize’s participation in the event will seek to bridge  the gap between Central America and the Caribbean.

 

Chester Williams

 “We will be doing a presentation and our presentation will be focused on  How we can tie the Caribbean and Central American region together as you know that I am the president of the Central American Commission, and I’m also a second vice president of this association so I am an executive of both commissions and so as the president of one commission the Second vice president of this one. I see myself as that come with that can bring the two regions together and so we will be focusing on the similarity in the types of crimes that occur in both regions and to show how if we collaborate by bringing both regions together, we can achieve much more in fighting support of crime.”

 

Attending the event was Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa, who said the meeting was much needed as the Caribbean observed a particularly violent year in 2023.

 

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs & New Growth Industries. 

 “To be here for this thirty-eighth annual general meeting of the commissioners of the Caribbean. Extremely important, extremely timely. As you know, 2023 was a violent year all across the Caribbean and it was extremely important that this meeting take place. We are pleased, of course, to be hosting them here in beautiful Belize, but no doubt over the next four days, very, very important deliberations and discussions and presentations happening. And so it’s extremely important. And then, of course, thereafter, we’ll have a report.”

 

 

He explained that as neighboring countries struggle with similar issues, conferences like these are a vital part of implementing effective solutions.

 

Kareem Musa

 “Well, of course, strategies we are, we are all facing similar type issues in terms of the influx of illegal weapons into our country. Of course, Belize is more porous than the other Caribbean countries because we do have the, the borders, the illegal border crossings where, guns come across, drugs come across, um, and the Caribbean, of course, is not immune to that either they do have issues at their ports of entry, whereby illegal weapons and drugs enter their country, and so, that’s one of the big issues, of course, gun violence, gang violence, in certain parts of the Caribbean has been extremely, high over the last year. So those are some of the issues and, of course, transnational crime that will be addressed at this conference.”

 

President of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police andCommissioner of Police in Antigua and Barbuda, Atlee Rodney, further emphasized the strength of cross-border collaborations. He explained that the association works not only by sharing information, but by conducting research into what areas need to be prioritized when addressing them as a unit.

 

Atlee Rodney, President, ACCP

 “We basically look at what is happening. We do our research. As most persons know, gun crimes is one of the biggest issues we have in the Caribbean. So that takes top priority. In terms of all the crimes that are happening, even cybercrimes, we look at those things that are predominantly taking place in the Caribbean. We focus on it and see how we can work together. Individually, we try to assist each other by showing if the problem is more predominant in one state, we provide some support and some of our expertise so that they can address it collectively. Especially when it comes to transnational crime, we see how we can improve our networking and sharing of intelligence, sharing of information to curtail the problems that we are facing.”

 

According to Rodney, Antigua does not struggle with gang activity as much as other countries in the region, making its input in the conference indispensable as other nations will study its strategies to combat the issue.

 

Atlee Rodney

 “There are some other countries having the same experience while quite a few of the Caribbean islands does not experience that. So what we do is to do the investigation, see how we can infiltrate those gangs and to address the problems that they are creating for our region. So best practices, some places, because for instance, in Antigua, we do not have that type of gang problems, but there was a time where it was surfacing, but we basically addressed it. So sharing the best practices, what worked and what did not work, and how we can all improve the situation in the Caribbean is what we do. When we come together as commissioners of police from the Caribbean.”

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.