ST JAMES, Jamaica – Security Minister Dr Horace Chang says he is heartened that during the 26th Caricom Standing Committee of Chiefs of Immigration and Comptrollers of Customs (CICC) meeting, there will be discussions on the increased reliance on technology to identify regional security threats.

“….It is therefore heartening to see the agenda that has been proposed for this 26th meeting. Increased reliance on technology, systems integration, and a more data-driven approach to operations, will undoubtedly improve the capacity of our border control agents to make the appropriate connections and identify regional security threats,” Chang said.

He was delivering the main address at the 26th Caricom Standing Committee of CICC at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James on Tuesday.

“The advancements we have made as a region in the digitalisation of processes that support customs operations must be maintained, and opportunities for linkages must be identified and implemented,” Chang added.

The security minister told the border control agents that the “region is not only challenged by the importation of illicit goods and illegal weapons and ammunition”.

“The transhipment of these illicit goods feeds into a much wider network of criminal activities, which has far-reaching implications for our people,” the security minister told noted.