Speeches & Op-Eds
Remarks to the 22nd Annual General Meeting of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police
May 29, 2007
Commissioner Farquharson, Commissioner Dottin, other Commissioners of Police, distinguished guests. Congratulations to you on the successful completion of what has clearly been a productive Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police. I had very much wanted to be able to welcome all of you at the Ambassador's residence, but a family commitment and scheduling complications prevented it, so I am grateful to Commissioner Farquharson for this chance to offer a few words on behalf of the U.S. Embassy in Nassau.
The theme of your meeting this year, "Law Enforcement Partnerships: Imperative for Success" was especially fitting. We are all too familiar with the transnational threats we face across the region today. And, we all recognize that law enforcement organizations have to look beyond their borders and national jurisdictions to meet the challenges we all face from criminal organizations with region-wide and even international roots. These challenges run the gamut from narcotics and illegal drugs, to alien smuggling, weapons smuggling, money laundering and potential terrorism.
In the face of these multi-headed challenges, the ACCP presents an ideal platform for law enforcement agencies throughout the region to come together and discuss current trends in crime, to compare strategies for making the most of limited resources, and to share information on the results of various strategies in order to learn from each other's experiences and move closer toward solutions.
The United States understands the importance of partnerships for our security and the security of our friends in the Caribbean region. You are our closest neighbors, and our safety and security are closely interconnected. That is why we are committed to providing the latest and broadest possible training to our partners in the region. Here in The Bahamas alone, the U.S. Embassy has over the past three years trained over 1200 law enforcement personnel. This training is valued at over $4 million. In providing such training, we consult closely with Bahamian law enforcement agencies to identify the most pressing training needs and determine how to provide training in the most cost-effective manner. I am sure that other U.S. Embassies in the region do likewise.
On a regional level we work together with our partners in the nations you represent and protect. It will not come as a surprise to our Bahamian hosts and our Turks and Caicos guests that I think one of the best examples of an effective law enforcement partnership is Operation Bahamas Turks & Caicos (OPBAT). This partnership began in the early 1980’s when this region was the main avenue for cocaine entering the U.S. from Latin America with over 70 percent of the overall flow. At that time, representatives from the DEA, Royal Bahamas Police Force and Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police Force came together to discuss strategies for how best to combat this noxious flow of narcotics through the Bahamas. As a result of these consultations, the law enforcement agencies formulated the idea of an operation that would become one of the most successful and enduring counter-drug operations.
The initial strategy of OPBAT was as basic as you can get in Law Enforcement: identify the traffickers, find the drugs, and make the case. As a result of this partnership OPBAT has seized over 94,000 kilograms of cocaine and over 1,000,000 pounds of marijuana with a U.S. street value of approximately 3 billion dollars.
From the original basic concept of OPBAT in the early 1980’s, it evolved into an Operation known for its complex and far-reaching investigations that have turned the tide in reducing the cocaine flow through The Bahamas from the 70 percent of the early 1980’s to less than 10 percent today.
As is often the case in law enforcement, success in one area has led to led to increased cooperation and success in other areas such as combating the threat of illegal migration. The Comprehensive Maritime Agreement between our nations -- designed to deal with the drug threat -- also allows U.S. ships with Bahamian shipriders to enter Bahamian waters to conduct other law enforcement operations that have led to the interdiction of more than 4,000 illegal migrants in 2006 and more than 1,500 already this year. Not only does this partnership help to secure both of our nations’ borders, but direct repatriation of many of these illegal migrants saves the Bahamian government hundreds of thousands of dollars that otherwise would have been spent housing and transporting these migrants.
The United States is truly pleased that the Government of The Bahamas has taken a leading role in establishing regional partnerships through its work with the Haitian National Police. Within the Caribbean region as a whole, there is no more urgent task than promoting security and stability in Haiti, and doing so will require the involvement of all of Haiti's neighbors to reach this goal. I applaud Bahamian leadership in this effort through its ongoing training of Haitian National Police officers at the Royal Bahamas Police College. I hope such initiatives are replicated throughout the region to meet Haiti's need for police training.
This training in turn supports another cooperative effort between The Bahamas and Haiti to bring vetted HNP officers to Great Inagua in the Southern Bahamas to assist with the interviews of Haitian crews transiting Bahamian waters. This cooperation will help develop vital information to fight criminal threats emerging from elsewhere in the region. By training, working with, and partnering with Haitian law enforcement, Caribbean law enforcement agencies will all reap benefits and forge new synergies as we discovered through OPBAT.
Before concluding my brief comments, I would like to convey the United States sincere appreciation to and profound respect for Commissioner Farquharson and his outstanding leadership of the ACCP. I would also like congratulate the new slate of officers elected: my good friend from my days in Bridgetown President and Commissioner Darwin Dottin, 1st Vice President Commissioner Matthias Lestrade, 2nd Vice President Commissioner Keithly Benjamin, and Secretary/Treasurer George Jackson. I would also like to thank the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers (NOBLE), the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the Association of Central American Commissioners of Police for their participation in this conference.
All of us working together have made and will continue to make a difference in the fight against crime. Thank you.