by Gail Alexander (Trinidad Guardian) Caricom Secretary-general Dr Carla Barnett says an action plan to be implemented across the region will be compiled at the end of today’s Caricom Crime Symposium at the Hyatt Regency in Port-of-Spain.
Barnett added that the regional leaders owed this to the citizens of their respective countries, since most Caricom leaders spend a lot of money to fight crime, limiting their financial contributions to other important national goals in the education, health and social services sectors.
“We are in the process of preparing both a declaration and an action plan because it is not only about saying what we need to say, it’s about stating how we’re going to actually get it done. We are organising to ensure we enlist the support, and experts across the region as we proceed forward,” Barnett said on day one of the symposium yesterday.
Earlier, Caricom chairman Philip Davis, Prime Minister of The Bahamas, in his opening address said the crime problem calls for “all hands on deck.”
“An epidemic of violence grips our region, one that claims lives and generates fear and anger,” David said.
“In 2022, Jamaica had a staggering homicide rate of 52.9 per 100,000 inhabitants, Trinidad and Tobago had a rate of 39.4 per 100,000, and The Bahamas, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines all recorded homicide rates above 30 per 100,000. This is over five times the global average.”
