CRIME and violence in the Caribbean are serious threats to the social and economic development of the region and urgent steps must be taken to address the crisis through increased co-operation between regional and international stakeholders.

This, according to Albert Ramdin, assistant secretary general of the Organisation of American States (OAS).

Speaking yesterday at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars at a conference on ‘Crime, Violence and Security in the CARICOM: Creating Community in the Caribbean’, Ambassador Ramdin said among the most challenging causes at the core of the problem are “drug trafficking, the emergence of terror networks, and the linkages between criminal gangs and terrorists”.

“Multidimensional security threats require multi-dimensional, multi-disciplinary and innovative responses. I firmly believe that a holistic, integrated approach to security and crime prevention must address development, good governance and the rule of law, as well as crime prevention,” he said.

Ambassador Ramdin explained that the illegal activities of these criminal organisations are conducive to the high rates of crime and violence in the Caribbean which are undermining growth, threatening human welfare and impeding social development.

He underscored the need for a “co-ordinated regional and international response that transcends national and regional boundaries”, and reiterated the OAS commitment and efforts to strengthening hemispheric security.

The ambassador’s comments yesterday came as the Caribbean was itself wrapping up a two-day conference on crime and security in the Caribbean, at the University of the West Indies, Mona.

Regional experts, including researchers and law enforcement officials, have made disclosures identical to those made by Ambassador Ramdin.

According to Ramdin, building peaceful societies and prosperous economies were of critical importance, and security challenges were counter-productive to those objectives.

He highlighted some of the mechanisms and agreements established to achieve this goal, including the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission, the Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacture of Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Other Related Materials, and the Inter-American Committee on Terrorism, among others.

Ramdin also drew attention to the need for governments to invest more in economic, social, education and prevention policies that can help to combat the challenges of drugs, guns, and gangs, citing, for example, poverty eradication and youth programmes. He also underscored the need for strengthening law enforcement through increased training and technical assistance, and called for greater co-operation in intelligence sharing among member states.

The OAS, he said, was in the process of leveraging the strengths of member states to work together in developing their capacity towards building mechanisms for sustainable security.

“The key to our success in combating security challenges will be to reconcile the relationship between security and development, and to move forward with an integrated, multidimensional approach that emphasises greater co-operation and partnership to confront challenges,” said.