MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Caricom joins forces to tackle arms trade

The illicit firearms trade fuels other criminal activities, Caricom agreed

Dignitaries of Caribbean Community (Caricom) countries have signed the first-ever international treaty to regulate the trade of conventional weapons and promote peace by preventing the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons in the region.

Caricom's Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS) convened at its headquarters in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, to discuss the matter at length. Attending the event were representations from Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

During the event, Caricom police commissioners and authorities explored ways to improve cooperation with the Caricom Crime Gun Intelligence Unit (CGIU) to tackle the wave of firearms-related crimes and successfully prosecute all those involved in the illicit firearms trade which fuels other criminal activities.