By Prior Beharry
TRINIDAD and Tobago will host a regional symposium on crime as a public health concern in April.
This was announced by Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Dr Amery Browne at the post-Cabinet media briefing at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s on Thursday.
Browne said, “The supporting entities for this symposium would be the Council for National Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE) regional body and another one which is COHSOD, the Council for Human and Social Development.”
The idea of the symposium was from talks held during the recently concluded 44th Conference of the Heads of Government of Caricom in the Bahamas, he said.
Browne said the Regional Security System (RSS) and the Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (Caricom IMPACS) will provide reporting, support and analysis for the symposium.
While all heads of government in the Caribbean region were invited to the special symposium.
Asked if the United States will also be invited, Browne said, “In terms of external partners, the United States of America being one potential stakeholder and there are many others including some from South America, that determination has not yet been identified.”
He said the flow of illegal guns from North America and elsewhere into the Caribbean has already been the subject of detailed scrutiny and that examination will continue.
Browne said he anticipated “comprehensive participation” at the symposium
