CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC) – The Bishops of the Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC) has applauded Caribbean Community (Caricom) for their leadership in raising crime and violence as a public health issue, saying they “stand ready to work with our leaders to renew our Caribbean peoples”.

Regional leaders, academics, non-government organisations and other stakeholders met in Trinidad and Tobago April 17-18 declaring a war on guns to combat the illegal trade which they said “provides the weapons that contribute significantly to crime and violence in our region”.

They said the epidemic of crime and violence in the Caribbean is being fuelled by illegal guns and organised criminal gangs that pose a “threat to our democracy and the stability of our societies.”

In addition, the leaders say they will “immediately and effectively implement the Caricom Arrest Warrant Treaty” as well as augment the jurisdiction of magistrates, the consideration of defendants’ options to judge-only trials, and the intra-regional rotation of judges and magistrates to admit or foster their greater exposure.

The AEC, headed by the Archbishop of Port of Spain, Jason Gordon, include members from Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia, Bahamas, Martinique, Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines, French Guyana, Suriname, Guadeloupe and Curacao.

In a statement, the AEC said the perspective of and call for all leaders to come together to face “this most dangerous social crisis is heartening and encouraging.”

“We ask our governments, in each nation, to initiate a multi-sector team with government, opposition, trade union, business and religious leaders, indeed all civil society, to move the declaration into action.

“This team should facilitate and engage in a series of conversations in the communities where there is the greatest vulnerability to begin understanding the complexity of the issues and thus charting meaningful solutions to all forms of violence.” the bishops said.

They said they are ready to work with all leaders of society to form “our people’s consciences and work tirelessly to build character and values through all our institutions.”

“We continue to pray that Almighty God will give us both the inspiration and the courage to face this most difficult challenge and to do what is necessary to transform our nations for the sake of the present and future generations,” the AEC bishops said.