Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/3522/-1/140/
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HIGH-POWERED MEETING LOOKS AT CRIME Governor Says People Must Assist
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Top law enforcement officers from the police, customs, immigration and prison services of the United Kingdom Caribbean Overseas Territories and Bermuda held their annual meeting in Anguilla from Tuesday to Thursday this week, against the backdrop of escalating crime in the region. The conference had as its theme: “Ensuring capacity, capability and sustainability in the delivery of effective law enforcement services.”
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Govenor Alan Huckle
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The tone of the meeting was set by Anguilla’s Deputy Commissioner of Police, Illidge Richardson, who chaired the opening ceremony at Paradise Cove. “We live in a world, where the presence of crime and criminal activities in the Caribbean region and the wider world are becoming a daily norm,” he said. “And it would appear that the law enforcement agencies are losing the war against gun crime, drug crime, terrorism and other forms of violent crime aimed against human dignity.”
Chief Minister, Osbourne Fleming, joined the island’s Chief Immigration Officer, Laureen Bryan, in welcoming the delegates to Anguilla, saying the territories were all gems of the Caribbean. He noted, however, the seriousness and objectives of the conference and told the law enforcement officers that in their “hands lies the safety of the people of the Overseas Territories.”
Mr. Fleming went on: “Unfortunately, progress and prosperity bring a lot of ills and we, in Anguilla, like many of you, are at present enjoying a measure of prosperity; but we have to butt up our shoulders to tackle the ills that are coming in.” He added that Anguilla had participated in such conferences before and had benefited from the shared “problems, joys, experiences” among the territories.
Governor Alan Huckle, who is responsible for security matters in Anguilla, said the conferences were set up ten years ago under the chairmanship of Larry Covington, the UK Law Enforcement Adviser for the Overseas Territories, based in Miami. The aim is to provide an annual forum to discuss problems relating to law and order and security. He noted that the conferences also bring together representatives from the US, UK and Canadian law enforcement agencies which are active in the Caribbean.
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Conference participants following the Opening Ceremony
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“As such, this conference is timely,” Governor Huckle continued. “Nearly all countries in the region, including Anguilla, are reporting an increase in serious crime, which is a real problem for the Governments concerned. Anguilla has, for example, seen three murders and a disappearance, which may yet prove to be a matter of foul play, and several incidents of violent crime so far this year, as well as an incident in which RAPF officers had to confront, with fatal consequences, a man brandishing a gun – all of which reveals a deeply worrying trend. Whilst Anguilla and most of the UK Overseas Territories in the Caribbean nevertheless remain relatively peaceful with low crime rates, even on a per capita basis, when compared with many independent countries in the region, we cannot be complacent.”
The Governor spoke about the establishment of the Task Force in Anguilla to seek out and to bring to justice persons on the island involved in gun and drug-related crimes; the introduction of resident beat police officers in the communities; the computerisation systems at the ports aimed at obtaining criminal intelligence; and other efforts to assist with crime detection and punishment on the island with the cooperation of UK and US law enforcement agencies.
“The agenda of this conference shows what serious issues have to be confronted,” Mr. Huckle further stated. He referred to the issues as including problems of witness protection, providing forensic assistance and related training, dealing with dangerous criminals, improving border security and intelligence and utilizing national and regional assets more effectively. “None of this is easy nor do improvements come cheap,” he cautioned the conference delegates “… It is crucial work – and vital for the stable underpinning of our economies.”
Governor Huckle paid tribute to the law enforcement services in Anguilla, saying that they often receive more criticism than praise. “They need the support of the community,” he stressed. “People cannot divorce themselves from the responsibility of seeking to reduce the level of crime. We can all assist, whether it is by providing information to the police or merely instilling in our children the proper values of civil behaviour. Law and order is not just a matter for our law enforcement services. It is matter for the community as a whole.”
The three-day conference was chaired by the UK Law Enforcement Adviser, Larry Covington, with other officials from the US and Canada as well as Attorneys General and others from the Caribbean region leading some of the sessions.