Illegal firearms trafficking named top Caribbean security threat at CARICOM meeting in Suriname
Regional security officials at CARICOM's CONSLE meeting in Paramaribo identified illegal firearms trafficking as the Caribbean's leading security threat. Stronger intelligence-sharing and border cooperation were among the key priorities discussed.
Caribbean leaders warn of growing firearms threat as criminal networks grow more sophisticated
Illegal firearms trafficking has been identified as the primary security threat facing the Caribbean, with regional officials calling for deeper cooperation to stop weapons from reaching criminal organisations, newsroom.gy reports.
The warning was issued at the 29th Meeting of the CARICOM Council for National Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE), held in Paramaribo, Suriname, on November 10 and 11. Ministers and senior law enforcement officials gathered to discuss coordinated responses to organised crime and related security challenges.
Suriname's Minister of Justice and Security and CONSLE Chair, Harish Monorath, told delegates that illegal firearms continue to drive violent crime and gang activity across the region. Criminal networks, he said, are exploiting borders, ports and maritime routes to move weapons, drugs and other illicit goods with increasing efficiency.
"Across the Caribbean, firearms remain a significant enabler of violent crime and gang activity. Criminal groups are becoming more organised, more sophisticated and increasingly transnational," Monorath said.
Monorath stressed that no single CARICOM Member State could address firearms trafficking in isolation. He pointed to the need for stronger intelligence-sharing, improved weapons-tracing capabilities and coordinated action among law enforcement agencies across the region.
The implementation of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap was identified as a key regional priority. Efforts under the roadmap are expected to focus on tracing the origins of illegal weapons, monitoring their movement and dismantling the networks responsible for trafficking them.
For Guyana, the discussions are of particular relevance as the country continues to work with regional and international partners to counter organised crime, illegal weapons and threats to public safety.
Under Suriname's chairmanship of CONSLE, the firearms agenda will be one of three priorities, with specific emphasis on building cooperation among police, customs, immigration, coast guard and prosecutorial authorities.
Suriname has also strengthened its own domestic response, launching a digital firearms register earlier this year with support from the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS). The system is designed to improve the monitoring and tracing of registered firearms.
"Above all, we need the political will to treat these issues as closely linked elements of one collective Caribbean security challenge," Monorath said.
CONSLE is responsible for coordinating CARICOM's regional security efforts, including the development of a common security strategy, intelligence-sharing arrangements and measures to protect the territorial integrity and stability of Member States.
The two-day meeting concluded with an agreement to advance practical, region-wide responses to threats that increasingly cross national borders.
Source: Google News GY — Crime