GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — The 17th meeting of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Council for Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE) began here on Monday with Guyana’s Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan emphasising the need to address community citizens’ perception of the security and law enforcement sector.

Ramjattan told the conference that it was necessary to change the perception that “the security and law enforcement sector is populated purely for predatory purposes”.

He recommended programmes to create champions on the ground as an approach saying “we have to lead our people out of that negative habit which teaches that crime and corruption are our culture

“They are bad choices that must never be condoned and for which citizens must speak out against,” he said, calling on CONSLE to construct projects of hope and trust to secure freedom from violence and fear.

He said this would “provide an opportunity for our people to flourish and thrive and to do so in peace.

The one-day meeting, being chaired by Barbados’ attorney general and minister of home affairs, Adriel Brathwaite, is expected to approve the Caricom Cyber Security and Cyber Crime Action Plan (CCSCAP).

The Caricom Secretariat said that this plan provides a framework through which all initiatives of cyber security and cyber-crime in the region will be developed, implemented and managed.

The controversial Citizenship by Investment Programmes (CIP) being adopted by several Caribbean countries will be discussed, including measures to ensure that national and regional security is not compromised by such programmes.

CONSLE is responsible for the coordination of the region’s multi-dimensional security agenda, to ensure a safe and stable Community.