Return ATF to south C’bean

AS part of his presentation on emerging threats facing regional security, National Security Minister Stuart Young called for the return of the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearm (ATF) unit to the southern Caribbean to assist in the fight against the illegal arms trade.

Young attended the ninth annual Caribbean-US Security Co-operation Dialogue on Wednesday via a virtual meeting, in which he highlighted issues of transnational organised crime, maritime law enforcement and the impacts of crime and violence on youth.

Speaking with Newsday via WhatsApp on Thursday, Young said the return of an ATF office to the region would assist local partner agencies in the fight against crime.

“TT made a substantial presentation on what are the risks to the region from transnational organised crime and pledged its continued commitment to regional security. We renewed our request for the return of an ATF office to the southern Caribbean to assist us in the fight against illegal firearms,” Young said.

The ATF is a US-based law enforcement agency responsible for investigating and prosecuting the illegal alcohol, tobacco and firearms trade. It has several offices based in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. In 2016 it was reported that the ATF and the FBI would set up regional offices in Jamaica.

The security conference provided leaders from Caricom, the Dominican Republic and the US an opportunity to meet and discuss achievements and assess objectives from the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), a joint initiative involving regional partners in tackling regional security threats. At the conference, TT was also represented by Chief of Defence Staff Air Cmdr Darryl Daniel and others.