CARICOM IMPACS

Port of Spain Trinidad, May 17^th 2012 – On his first official visit to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago since taking office, CARICOM Secretary General, His Excellency, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, and his delegation visited the community’s Crime and Security institution, CARICOM IMPACS on Wednesday, May 16 2012.

During his visit to the Agency the Secretary General used the opportunity to commend the Management and Staff for their tremendous efforts under what he described as ‘challenging circumstances.’

OAS IADC January 6th 2012, Washington D.C, United States               

“Preventing the illicit trade and proliferation in arms trafficking is a responsibility to be shared among the producing, selling, transit and destination states…”

This was stated by the Regional Crime and Security Strategy Coordinator of CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), Mr. Callixtus Joseph, as he addressed the Inter-American Defense College (IADC) and the Organization of American States (OAS) Committee on Hemispheric Security at the inauguration of the three-day seminar on the illicit trafficking of arms in Washington, DC, on Monday 6 January 2012.

Hyatt Regency December 2nd, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago                 When most people think about Carnival their thoughts often travel to a place inhabited by beautiful people, fantastic costumes, pulsating music and all manner of merrymaking. Rarely does the average person consider a Carnival from a security perspective - the challenge of securing a major or special event of national or regional significance that attracts large numbers of people from different parts of the world, from all walks of life, including a variety of public figures or VIPs who could well be targets for groups or individuals, for any number of reasons.

This is part of the annual routine of the various Law Enforcement agencies in our midst, and this work has taken on new dimensions in recent times as a global consensus has emerged that we now live in a new security environment where, along with ordinary threats and incidents (fights, drunkenness, stabbings, etc.) planners have to mitigate against extraordinary threats including violence by politically motivated groups, terrorist attacks, contagious diseases and natural disasters.

IMPACS headquarters September 13th, Port-of-Spain Trinidad and Tobago – A delegation from the United Nations office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), met today with officials from the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), to review earlier deliberations between the two entities, with regard to joint undertakings in the Region, to tackle the top priority concerns of member states.

Both organizations are keen to strengthen the Regional forensics capacity which will increase rates of convictions by improving the preservation of the integrity of evidence from crime scene to court room. They also want to focus their attention on the proliferation of illegal guns which have had a significant impact on the escalating homicide rate in the Region along with issues relating to human trafficking, the smuggling of migrants, and money laundering.

IMPACS headquarters Port of Spain: As part of an official visit to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, a high level delegation from the Organisation of American States (OAS) has paid a courtesy call to Mr. Francis Forbes, the Interim Executive Director of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), to update IMPACS on work currently being pursued by the hemispheric organization with a view to increasing collaboration and co-operation in the future.

Leading the OAS delegation, His Excellency, Ambassador Adam Blackwell, Secretary for Multidimensional Security, spoke of the cooperation agreements just entered into with the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago which will see the establishment of a Public Security Observatory and the introduction of a new laser marking machine for firearms.