Multi-Disciplinary Summit Imminent To Address Unacceptable Crime, Violence in CARICOM

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
will convene a multidisciplinary summit on Security scheduled for April
2020 to have “frank discussions” given the continuing high rates of
crime and violence in the Community.

CARICOM Chair, Hon. Mia Mottley, made the disclosure while briefing
the press at the close of the Thirty-First Intersessional Meeting of the
Conference of Heads of Government on 19 February 2020, in Barbados. She
said that Heads were “deeply concerned about the level of crime and
violence in the Region”.

The Chair noted that it was recognised that crime and violence and security were not issues that could “be believed to be simply the responsibility of governments”, particularly in the context of the Caribbean where they are “effectively public health disorders, public health diseases”. To this extent, Heads agreed  that a multi-disciplinary approach to addressing the issue was critical.

 “It is critical that we bring together not only the
heads of government of the Region… but also partners from faith-based
organisations…artists, sports personalities, teachers … [among others]
for us to have full and frank discussions about how we, as a Region, not
as individual governments, will begin to contain the difficulties that
individual communities and countries are experiencing because of a
change in behaviour, a change in values, a change in attitudes.

“If we are to win the battle in the medium term, we need to treat
this as a national and regional discussion….  the message from Heads of
Government is that this [issue] is urgent,” she said.

brief snapshot of crime and security as articulated in the Caribbean
Community Security Strategy (CCSS), shows high rates of homicide and
violent crimes; trafficking in guns, ammunition and illegal narcotics;
organised crime   rising cybercrime; and the growing power of
transnational and organised crime networks.

The upshot of this includes, youth violence, gangs and gender-based
violence, especially domestic and sexual violence against women and
girls, among other ills. Increased cyber and financial crimes on an
international scale mainly due to technological advancements.

Statistics indicate  that the Caribbean region while home to 8.5 per
cent of the world’s population,  disproportionately experiences about
27 per cent of the world’s homicides;  and that some Caribbean countries
rank among the highest in the world for the number of homicides per
100,000 people[i] .

The security threats caused by the impact of natural disasters is
another issue that contributes to the vulnerability of states.
Hurricanes, tropical storms, floods and landslides damage critical
infrastructure and negatively affect economies. Moreover, in the
aftermath of these natural disasters security forces are often
challenged to perform first responder duties, whilst addressing law and
order issues such as looting, as the environment becomes conducive to
various illicit activities.

In addition, there is the public health challenge of viruses and diseases moving across borders given the inter-connectedness of the Caribbean and the world, and these, too, present security and others challenges.

In this last context, the Communique issued at the end of Meeting
indicated that the Conferences agreed “to address the matter [crime and
violence] as a public health issue and to hold a Summit of Member States
and a regional multi-disciplinary partnership in Trinidad and Tobago in
early April”.

“Heads of Government also agreed that enhanced security
would include measures to assist in minimising the risk of importation
of the COVID-19 virus”, the Communique stated.