KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Dr Horace Chang, has cited transnational organised crime as a serious threat to national development, international peace and security.

Chang’s comments were made at the opening session of the High-Level Security Conference of the Guiana Shield, held in Paramaribo, Suriname on Thursday, April 21, 2022.

According to the Minister, transnational organised crime continues to be a global security threat, and adversely impacts the respective regions of Caribbean Community (Caricom) and the Guiana Shield in various ways.

This, he said, includes the illicit trafficking in firearms, drug trafficking, human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants, terrorism, cyber-attacks, illegal mining, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, piracy, and intentional and unlawful damage to the marine environment.

“We therefore must leverage the border security systems in our respective regions to fully utilise passenger name records and advanced passenger information to identify persons of interest through risk assessments and pre-screening,” Chang said.

He added: “We must comprehensively address all forms of trafficking in persons, migrant smuggling and illegal migration, which are integral in the fight against transnational organised crime”.

Chang pointed out that countries within the respective regions must continue to prevent the occurrence through raising awareness, protect victims, and prosecute and convict perpetrators of these crimes.

He said Government States must move with alacrity to strengthen, adapt and implement measures at the national levels in line with relevant international legal frameworks, including international humanitarian, human rights, and refugee laws.

Chang, who is Chairman of the Council for National Security and Law Enforcement, highlighted the four priority areas of action for the Caricom Implementation Agency for Crime and Security for 2022.

These are illicit trafficking of firearms, cyber security, trafficking in persons and maritime security, which are undergirded by two critical areas – information and intelligence sharing, and border security and the illicit trafficking of firearms and organised crime.

The Caribbean accounts for approximately 23 per cent of all recorded homicides, with an average homicide rate of 15.1 per 100,000 people, which is nearly three times the world average.

The proliferation and increased access to illegal firearms account for the high level of armed violence and insecurity within our regions.

“The firearm is the weapon of choice for committing homicides and other acts of crime and violence. In this regard, I have to underscore the need for greater collaboration and partnership to combat the scourge of the illicit trafficking of firearms,” Chang stated.

He also mentioned the need to strengthen regional capacity to successfully detect and prevent the illegal importation of firearms into respective regional countries.

Chang further added that challenges faced by marine security underscore the need to leverage technology, including through the use of satellite imagery, radar and surveillance systems, and other maritime domain awareness infrastructure.

“We, therefore, have an opportunity, through our regions, to strengthen the existing framework,” the Minister said, adding that Caricom supports the Shield through the provision of maritime data on high-risk vessels daily to Guyana, France and Suriname.”