JAMAICA’S state minister for foreign affairs and foreign trade, Senator Pearnel Charles Jr has called for countries within the Caribbean region to increase their collaborative efforts in countering the threat of terrorism in the region.

He was speaking at the third plenary session at the Ministerial Dialogue on Counterterrorism in the Western Hemisphere in Washington, DC, on Tuesday.

Speaking under the theme, “Terrorist Travel and Law Enforcement Cooperation,” Minister Charles noted that, “Although the threat of terrorism is low in Jamaica, the country is faced with the reality of Caribbean nationals returning from conflict zones that may have been exposed to violent jihadist ideologies”.

“Our efforts must be coordinated and to that end, we must share the relevant biometric data, travel records, banking and financial information to assist law enforcement in detecting, identifying, disrupting and prosecuting terrorist networks,” he continued.

Minister Charles noted, too, that the establishment of regional security frameworks such as the Council for National Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE) as an organ of the Community and the Caricom Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), the implementing Agency serves to operationalise the region’s counterterrorism strategy. The two sub-agencies of IMPACS: the Regional Intelligence Fusion Centre (RIFC) and the Joint Regional Communications Centre (JRCC), have contributed significantly to the development of regional counterterrorism policies.

Charles also advised that the Counter Terrorism Forum would seek to strengthen partnerships among the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Interpol and regional institutions.