Apr 5, 2018 | Uncategorized
On 5-6 April 2018, UNLIREC undertook a Sub-regional Seminar on “Progress and Challenges in Private Security Regulation and Oversight in Central America and the Dominican Republic”, held in San José, Costa Rica. This Seminar served as a forum for member countries of the Central American Integration System (SICA) to discuss issues of good governance and oversight in the private security sector.
This Seminar was attended by authorities and technical personnel from regulatory agencies responsible for private security in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic; representatives of SICA’s Secretary General and the Commission of Police Chiefs and Directors of Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean and Colombia. Representatives of the private security sector and civil society organizations were also present.
The participants engaged in an open and fruitful discussion, sharing information regarding their respective countries, as well as the progress and challenges witnessed in the regulation of private security services. They also proposed regulations, international standards and good guiding practices that promote effective governance and arms control in that sector so as to contribute to the enhancement of the public security efforts made by States both nationally and regionally.
During the seminar, participants acknowledged the need to address private security challenges – particularly arms and ammunition control in the sector – within existing sub-regional integration and cooperation mechanisms.
This Seminar was developed within the framework of the project entitled “Strengthening Oversight and Building Capacities for Small Arms Control and Nonproliferation in the Private Security Sector.” The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) launched this project in collaboration with the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) and with the financial support of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Mar 21, 2018 | Uncategorized
From 21-23 March, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), carried out its first binational Firearms and Ammunition Evidence Management Course (EMC) in Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis. It was the fifth EMC delivered in the Caribbean as part of UNLIREC’s Operational Forensic Ballistics (OFB) project.
The EMC responds to a need for strengthened coordination and practical training on best practices to process a scene under investigation across the region. The course also increases the knowledge base of the relevant international and national legal frameworks and examines the chain of custody process. The transnational nature of illicit firearms trafficking and gun related crimes as well as the resulting need for enhanced cooperation among security sector personnel and justice officials in Barbados and the OECS states for criminal investigations, underpin these and other types of inter-institutional training courses.
26 justice and law enforcement and judicial participants, including firearms examiners, forensic laboratory personnel, crime scene investigators, police prosecutors and public prosecutors were trained during the course. One participant noted that the course “will certainly lead to consistency in approach to the proper investigation of crime scenes”.
The EMC training was led by international subject matter experts and contained modules on ‘Firearms and Ammunition Identification’, ‘Legal Considerations in Criminal Investigations’, ‘Evidence Management at the Crime Scene’, ‘Evidence Examination and Analysis in the Laboratory’, ‘Intelligence and Investigation Tools’, as well as field exercises. Participants also benefitted from presentations by Crown Counsel, Office of Public Prosecutions, on the national legislative context to prosecute firearms-related offenses and by INTERPOL on addressing firearms trafficking, firearms tracing, and investigative tools.
The EMC is part of UNLIREC’s Caribbean Operational Forensic Ballistics Assistance Package, which is made possible thanks to the support of the governments of Canada, Germany, and the United States of America.
UNLIREC, as the regional organ of the UN Office for Disarmament, seeks to advance the cause of practical disarmament in Latin America and the Caribbean as part of its commitment to support Member States in their implementation of international disarmament and non-proliferation instruments, in particular, the 2001 UN Programme of Action on Small Arms.
Mar 20, 2018 | Uncategorized
The Hazardous Materials Workshop: Introduction to Post-Blast Investigations/Explosive Precursor Chemical was held from 20 to 22 March in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The event was organized by the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) in cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The activity was made possible by the generous financial support provided by the Government of Canada and with material assistance provided by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.
The participants received targeted training on explosives and hazardous materials, with special focus on improvised explosive devices and explosive precursor chemicals commonly present in the region. As such, the training was tailored to suit the needs of national law enforcement and defense officials working in the Caribbean. At the end of the training, the participants were guided through a hands-on post-blast crime scene investigation.
The 52 participants came from Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Grenada, Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. This event concludes the series of Hazardous Materials Workshops organized by UNLIREC in cooperation with the FBI in the course of 2015-2018.
Mar 13, 2018 | Uncategorized
On 13 March 2018, at the request of the Government of Mexico, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in conjunction with the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), launched the assistance package entitled Strengthening Oversight and Building Capacities for Small Arms Control and Nonproliferation in the Private Security Sector in Guadalajara. This project launch took place during an Executive Seminar on Good Practices and International Standards in the Private Security Sector and was attended by various private security companies operating in Mexico, as well as by representatives of national agencies responsible for the oversight and regulation of this sector.
In recent years, the private security sector has expanded in Latin America with its level of professionalism improving in its offer of protective and security services with the use of firearms. This growth has led to the increase in demand for legal firearms and ammunition required by these companies. These private security companies and their agents, similar to the government institutions that handle arms, are also vulnerable to insecurity (thefts, attacks) and corruption (illegal sales, unlawful use of arms), which can in turn lead to the diversion of arms, and their potential use in violent and criminal activities with serious impacts on public security.
This UNLIREC-DCAF project helps to reduce these risks through the promotion of arms control measures among the national authorities responsible for overseeing the sector and the private security companies themselves. This initiative also supports authorities in the review and enhancement of good governance in the sector through the promotion of international standards and good regulatory practices. The joint effort with the Government of Mexico is based on internationally accepted standards, good practices and initiatives, such as the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers (ICoC), as well as the International Small Arms Control Standards (ISACS) and the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG). With the launch of this project, the private security sector in Mexico and the governmental authorities that regulate and supervise it will benefit from a series of technical assistance activities aimed at capacity-building in the sector over the next few months.
This project is made possible through the financial support of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany. By providing assistance to Latin American and Caribbean States, UNLIREC contributes to the enhancement of public security and the implementation of the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (UN 2001 PoA).
For more information on UNLIREC, please visit (www.unlirec.org) or contact Ms. Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer (cowl@unlirec.org).
Mar 12, 2018 | Uncategorized
From 12-16 March, 2018, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) held two training workshops on “International Standards for the Management of Arms and Ammunition Warehouses of Private Security Companies” in Guadalajara for representatives of private security companies in Mexico. These two-day technical workshops were attended by operational staff of security companies active in various states throughout the country.
In order to mitigate the risk of arms diversion, training was centred on physical security measures for the weapons storage facilities of security companies. It is well known that a major source of criminal possession of weapons is the theft and loss of arms and ammunition from both State-owned and private arms depots. These risks can be significantly reduced through the implementation of internationally-recognized standards and good practices. Therefore, a key component of effective arms control and armed violence prevention is the training of those in charge of stockpile management within their respective companies.
The UNLIREC Public Security Programme team led the workshop, focusing on, inter alia, firearms and ammunition classification, effective stockpile management, risk assessment, security plans and incident notification.
This workshop forms part of the recently launched UNLIREC project entitled Strengthening Oversight and Building Capacities for Small Arms Control and Nonproliferation in the Private Security Sector, funded by the Governments of Mexico and the Federal Republic of Germany. One of the main objectives of this project, developed in collaboration with the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), is the promotion of internationally accepted standards, good practices and initiatives to strengthen good governance and arms control in the private security sector.
By providing assistance to Latin American and Caribbean States, UNLIREC contributes to the enhancement of public security and the implementation of the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (UN 2001 PoA).
For more information on UNLIREC, please visit (www.unlirec.org) or contact Ms. Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer (cowl@unlirec.org).
Mar 9, 2018 | Uncategorized
On 9 March 2018, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean presented the Dominican Republic their National Focus List for effective implementation of UNSCR 1540. The event was organized by UNLIREC with the generous financial support from the Government of Canada.
The National Focus List is intended as a subset to a comprehensive Control List, providing the front line trade control officials with an operative, easy-access tool for enhanced control over strategic trade. The List was developed in close cooperation with national authorities of the Dominican Republic and with the generous financial support from the Government of Canada.
The National Focus List is a closed list of dual-use items that may be of weapons of mass destruction proliferation concern. The List is based on an analysis of the Dominican trade patterns, volumes, and values over the years 2012-2016. As such, the document is a tailor-made Resolution 1540 implementation tool specifically designed to reflect the unique national context of the Dominican Republic. The purpose of the Focus List is to facilitate the practical implementation of the national control list in order to regulate the trade of goods and technology considered to be of international proliferation concern.
The National Focus List derives from UNLIREC´s previous work on developing regional Control and Focus Lists for the Caribbean. UNLIREC has developed a step-by-step methodology piloted in Dominican Republic at the national level, which can be independently implemented by other countries in the region in developing their national focus lists.
