Regional police chiefs highlight need to unite:
By JIMENITA SWAIN,
Guardian Senior Reporter -
jimenita@nasguard.com ,
Nassau, Bahamas:

The challenges of crime to law enforcement require collaborative efforts between regional and international bodies in order to combat proliferating criminal enterprises, according to law enforcement officials.

That theme is prevalent at the Association of Caribbean Commissioners (ACCP) 22nd annual general conference being held here this week.

"I believe that we can all agree that crime and the fear continues to dominate too much of the lives of Caribbean people and so it is right that we should be focused on addressing crime in all its aspects and elements," Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said yesterday in an opening speech to conference attendees. The fact that the Caribbean region is made up of scattered islands, with small populations and limited financial resources, presents a challenge to law enforcement.

"Crimes that impact all out-island countries span the gamut from nuisance to serious property crime, from domestic violence to capital murder, from drug and gun smuggling to illicit traffic of human cargos, from white collar crime associated with smuggling operations to money laundering and various other forms of fraud in the financial services sector; nowadays, even kidnapping in one of our sister states," said Ingraham.

With such a wide range of crimes, the prime minister said: "Indeed, it is simply sensible that we combine our human and financial capital so as to maximize returns from national and regional investment in anti-criminal programs."

Regional enforcement has been in place since the 1980's when various countries sought to fight illicit drug trafficking cartels and has been extended to cooperation in training, intelligence sharing, exchange programs and forensic services, he noted.

Added Commissioner of Police Paul Farquharson, who was inducted into the executive branch of the International Association of Chief's of Police during yesterday's opening ceremonies: "The partnering of the ACCP with its counterparts in other countries, particularly those represented here today, is a very important aspect in our efforts to combat the many criminal activities within our region and, by extension, the world."

Both the prime minister and commissioner pledged the continued support of the Royal Bahamas Police Force in the regional fight against crime.

Commissioners from every Caribbean country were represented at the conference, which is expected to wrap up Monday.