From 19 to 21 November 2024, 33 officials from various law enforcement, legal, and scientific institutions in Trinidad and Tobago participated in the Combating Trafficking in Arms and Ammunition (CTAM). This training was organized by the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) in collaboration with the Ministry of National Security.
Participants included representatives from the Ministry of National Security, the Ministry of Legal Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Trinidad & Tobago Police Service, the Trinidad & Tobago Municipal Police Service, the Port Authority Police, and the Customs and Excise Division of the Ministry of Finance. They received up-to-date training and on arms and ammunition trafficking including the issue of privately manufactured firearms.
During the event’s opening, Trinidad and Tobago Police Service Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher emphasized the importance of up-to-date training and collaborative efforts among law enforcement and civilian agencies to address the rising rates of firearms-related crimes and the emerging threat of privately manufactured firearms.
The Honorable Fitzgerald E. Hinds, Minister of National Security of Trinidad and Tobago; Mr Scott Hansen, Political-Economic Counselor at the U.S, Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago; and Ms. Quinnelle-Marie Kangalee, Programme coordinator at UNLIREC, also attended the launch.
The Honorable Minister and Mr Hansen highlighted the increasing threat of transnational organized crime in Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean, underscoring the significance of the training and encouraging participants to apply what they learned.
The CTAM course offers both theoretical and practical knowledge on global and regional trends in arms trafficking, methods of illicit manufacture, control systems for international transfers of firearms and ammunition, including brokering, and tools for international cooperation against firearms trafficking.
This edition of the CTAM featured presentations from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (including the Police Armoury and Firearms Permit Unit), the Customs & Excise Division, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF), as well as CARICOM IMPACS. These sessions focused on firearms trafficking trends and the licensing and importat/export processes for firearms and accessories in Trinidad and Tobago, with IMPACS providing an overview of the Crime Gun Intelligence Unit (CGIU).
The CTAM course is part of UNLIREC’s project “Combating Illicit Firearms and Ammunition Trafficking in the Caribbean”, funded by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) of the United States. It aligns with the 2001 UN Programme of Action on Small Arms, the Arms Trade Treaty, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This initiative to regional efforts to prevent the illicit trafficking of firearms and ammunition, reduce firearms-related crimes, and support the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap.