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Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 29, 2017 (RSCNPF):  A five (5) member delegation from the Ministry of National Security recently attended a U. S Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Professional Exchange Conference in Barbados.  

 

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, Mr. Osmond Petty led the delegation, which included Mr. Ian M Queeley – Commissioner of Police, Lt. Col. Patrick Wallace – Commander of the St. Kitts/Nevis Defence Force, Mr. Georid Belle – Comptroller of Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise Department and Inspector Jacqueline Browne – Head of the Immigration Department.

Describing the Conference, Commissioner of Police Mr. Ian M. Queeley said, “approximately seventy-five (75) Senior Law Enforcement Professionals drawn from eighteen (18) countries within the region benefitted immensely from the engagement.”  He added, “this conference was very timely and provided the opportunity for important dialogue with our colleagues from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Panama, the Dominican Republic, the Netherlands and Mexico.  We are all concerned about the movement of persons and the accompanying illegal activities.”

Commissioner Queeley added, “the objective of the conference was to bring together all the major players within the National Security architecture within the Caribbean region to examine the current trends of criminality and vulnerabilities affecting the region and develop protocols and strategies that will mitigate against them.”  He noted, the benefits of these collaborations and said, “the possibility of sharing or exchange of resources and where applicable, the adoption of Best Practices utilized by our International Partners can be of great value.”  He added, ” I believe much was achieved during the conference to enhance cooperation,  and I look forward in anticipation of success especially in the area of Firearms Trafficking within the region and the support in upgrading the infrastructure at the Joint Regional Communications Center (JRCC) and the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) in Barbados.”

 

The three (3) day Conference was held April 25-27 in Barbados, under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) Programme.   The first conference was held in 2015.