Caricom moves into phase two of crime prevention plan

Following a successful sub-regional consultation and sensitisation intervention in Guyana in the first week of October, the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Secretariat is looking to pilot phase two of the Community’s Social Development and Crime Prevention Action Plan through targeted interventions at the national level.

Phase Two of the action plan focuses on, among other issues, youth gangs and gang violence, and is aimed at strengthening the capacity of youth and community members to design and implement programmes to address gang formation and gang violence amongst and against youths, the secretariat said in a release. In addition, the project aims to increase livelihood opportunities and employability for economically and socially marginalised youth.

The Caricom Secretariat, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has organised a series of consultations and training interventions in the four countries targeted for the pilot – Belize, Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago.

The first four-day intervention takes place in Belize on October 25 to 28 at the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centre, Freetown Road. It will involve 50 stakeholders, representing Faith-Based Organisations (FBOs), government ministries and agencies, the private sector, and community rehabilitation personnel.

The series of consultations is designed to realise five primary objectives: Present the gang prevention and youth and community development project to be piloted in the selected member states; identify pilot communities and a mechanism for the implementation of Phase II of the project in the communities; identify a team to undertake a mapping of the selected communities; identify immediate training needs in the areas of gang formation and violence prevention; identify schools/ communities for intense prevention education programmes.

The consultation in Belize will also include small focus-group discussions with targeted groups such as the media as a critical stakeholder, the commissioner of police and other security personnel, the youth director and other directors of government agencies.

The 12th Special Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) in March 2008 mandated the Caricom Secretariat to collaborate with international organisations and third states in developing a regional crime prevention initiative to complement the national efforts already in train.