The Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) will benefit from the establishment of an INTERPOL Caribbean Liasion Office to be based in Barbados.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Dr Jerome Walcott, highlighted the benefits this morning, during a press conference, where the Agreement Signing Ceremony took place.
“Already through Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) there’s a benefit, but certainly this will open a new area in terms of training in terms of technical support…. Traditionally in Barbados and perhaps in the region, crime was just investigating murders, burglary, fraud, stuff like this, but crime now has reached a new level, not only using technology in terms of communication, but criminals can stay in Barbados and operate a network utilising technology on the other side of the world,” he said.
He added that it would certainly help the police in terms of building their strength, capacity, and resources to utilise the available technology and databases.
INTERPOL’s Executive Director of Police Services, Stephen Kavanagh, also noted the likely benefits of the Caribbean Liaison Office to the RBPF.
“The great thing that INTERPOL can bring is, is that network; you are two phone calls from a chief of police, a head of a national Central Bureau. It allows us to stop trying to duplicate the training that takes place. So, whether it’s the emerging cybercrimes that are taking place, countries don’t need to replicate and develop their own training now, what they can do is certainly use the global Academy and INTERPOL,” he pointed out.
Mr. Kavanagh continued: “So, part of my role here is to actually help the law enforcement and the partners around it understand how they get the best value out of INTERPOL, because my job is no longer about me, my job is about supporting Colonel Jones, the Commissioner, the Minister in making sure that they can be as effective as possible…. We have the data to connect Barbados to Korea and Korea to South Africa, and that’s a unique opportunity and it’s an exciting one for the Royal Barbados Police Force, and we want to help them be the very best.”