Caribbean Police Discuss Cooperative Measures

May 4, 2013

The Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police [ACCP] conference which was hosted by the Bermuda Police Service at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess Hotel recently concluded, with the focus on the conference being collaborative approaches and assisting each other where able.

A new Executive Committee was elected, and Bermuda’s Police Commissioner Michael DeSilva was elected 1st Vice President, while Cayman’s Commissioner David Baines was elected as the President.

The Governor, Public Safety Minister Michael Dunkley and the Caribbean Police Commissioners:

2013 ACCP Group Photo

Commissioner Baines said, “While we speak as a region, we face very different backgrounds. Places like Bermuda and Cayman have a significantly wealthy infrastructure capability and background.

“Other countries suffer severe poverty, where some of the benefits we are able to enjoy and not available to them. And the scale and depth of their problem is not only greater, but their ability to respond to it is even more challenging.”

“So the idea of bringing all these Commissioners together has been to work collectively, share best practice and help one another as wherever possible.”

Commissioner Baines also said every region has committed to having trauma kits in their cars, not only to assure they are better protected, but to be able to provide assistance if needed when they arrive on the scene.

ACCP members include Anguilla, Antigua, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, French Antilles, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Marteen, St. Vincent, Suriname, Trinidad, Turks & Caicos and the United States Virgin Islands.

The theme of the conference was: “Police and Public Partnerships: Joining up prevention, intervention and enforcement strategies to tackle gangs and youth violence.”

Several international law enforcement agencies and other international organisations were represented at the conference, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police [IACP], the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Executive, INTERPOL, FBI, ATF, UK Serious Organized Crime Agency, RCMP, Naval Criminal Investigative Service and CARICOM.

15-minute video of the post-conference press conference:

Outgoing President of the ACCP, and Commissioner of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, Ellison Greenslade chaired the conference for his third and final time in that capacity.

A new Executive Committee was elected comprised of a new President – Commissioner David Baines of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, 1st Vice President – Commissioner Michael DeSilva of the Bermuda Police Service, 2nd Vice President – Commissioner Owen Ellington of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, and Secretary/Treasurer – Commissioner Vernon Francois of the Royal St. Lucia Police Force.

The topics of discussion included community and police anti-gang initiatives, collaborative approaches to criminal investigations, digital solutions for law enforcement, witness protection, intelligence gathering and sharing information throughout the Caribbean region.

The annual ACCP/ Motorola Scholarship Programme was also launched at the conference. This year again Motorola will provide ten scholarships valued at USD3,000.00 [each] for children of police officers and police support staff.

The primary sponsor for the event was Digicel. Other main sponsors included Motorola and Taser International. The venue for the next Annual General Meeting was selected as Trinidad and Tobago in May 2014.

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Category: All, Crime, News

Comments (5)

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  1. Nuffin but da Truth says:

    how much did this all cost the Bermuda Public?

    • Amazing says:

      What an ignorant comment to make. You have no clue……..friggin amazing

      • SNP says:

        the cost to curb crime should not be questioned!

        • J says:

          Just because you attach “crime” to it, it should not be questioned?? While I am sure there were a lot of good ideas and information sharing that could benefit Bermuda and the region as a whole, it does not discount the value of questioning every dollar spent–the country is broke.

  2. Go Bermuda! says:

    Instead of weapons for officers to defend themselves and the public they want a box of bandaids.. really?