From 14 to 18 March 2022, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), carried out technical assessments for government armoury facilities in Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada.
During the in-person mission, UNLIREC advisors reviewed the weapons and ammunition management practices of selected facilities, in accordance with international guidelines including the United Nations Modular Small-arms-control Implementation Compendium (MOSAIC) and the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG).This technical assistance aims to strengthen the physical security and stockpile management practices in both States, to ultimately prevent diversion of weapons and ammunition from State arsenals into illicit markets.
National authorities from the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda, the Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force, as well as the Office of National Drug and Money Laundering Control Policy facilitated site visits from 14 to 16 March, while the Royal Grenada Police Force, Special Service Unit and Her Majesty’s Prison of Grenada facilitated visits during 17 and 18 March.
With national authorities and officials from Grenada (Special Service Unit and Royal Grenada Police Force)
UNLIREC also met with government representatives to coordinate future activities in line with the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap and the respective National Action Plans for each State. This assistance was made possible with the financial support of the government of Canada.
UNLIREC, as the regional office of the UN Office for Disarmament, seeks to advance the cause of practical disarmament in Latin America and the Caribbean as part of its commitment to support Member States in their implementation of international disarmament and non-proliferation instruments, in particular, the 2001 UN Programme of Action on Small Arms.
From 7 – 10 March, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), delivered a Cartridge Case Triage Course in Trinidad and Tobago.
One of the critical components of a successful preventive crime gun intelligence program is comprehensive data collection of firearm-related evidence and rapid dissemination of results. The cornerstone of such a program is ballistic imaging technology. To maximize the effectiveness of such technology it is essential that fired cartridge cases from crime scenes and recovered firearms be acquired quickly with as few replicates as possible, which will dilute the database, reducing its effectiveness. A recognized process to accomplish this is to triage the multiple recovered cartridge cases for purposes of maximizing effectiveness and efficiency.
The course objective was to familiarize the participants with marking and class characteristics present on cartridge cases; assess the cartridge cases using a stereo microscope; sort the cartridge cases in sample groups of similar characteristics; and prioritize cartridge cases to be entered into the Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS).
Twenty-two officials, including ten women, from the Trinidad and Tobago Forensic Science Centre and Police Service participated in the training. The course consisted of a theoretical presentation by UNLIREC, followed by group work to assess and sort 75 double cast cartridge case replicas, using a stereo microscope and subsequently prioritize the cartridge cases to be entered into IBIS. The participants successfully prioritized firearms to be entered into IBIS.
The Cartridge Case Triage course contributes towards the implementation of Goal 3 of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap, Bolster law enforcement capacity to combat illicit firearms and ammunition trafficking and their illicit possession and misuse, and ammunition, and ultimately reducing firearms-related crimes and armed violence in the Caribbean. The course was made possible thanks to support of the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
UNLIREC, as the regional organ of the UN Office for Disarmament, seeks to advance the cause of practical disarmament in Latin America and the Caribbean as part of its commitment to support Member States in their implementation of international disarmament and non-proliferation instruments, in particular, the 2001 UN Programme of Action on Small Arms.
On Tuesday 1 March 2022, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in collaboration with the Directorate of Security and Defence of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru, held the webinar “Measures to prevent armed violence against women”.
There were 523 participants (62% women) from different public agencies with competencies in the subject matter: Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations, Ministry of the Interior, National Superintendence for the Control of Security Services, Arms, Ammunition and Explosives for Civilian Use (SUCAMEC), National Civil Police, Ministry of Defence, Public Prosecutor’s Office, among others.
The seminar began with a contextualization of the convergence of the Arms Control agenda with the Women, Peace and Security agenda – promoted by UN Security Council Resolution 1325 – and the importance of analysing the impacts of armed violence from a gender perspective in order to understand the effects on men and women. At this point, emphasis was placed on the incidence of firearms not only in femicides, but also on the different types of violence against women, whether physical, sexual and/or psychological.
It was emphasized that the presence of a firearm in a context of gender violence should be considered a risk factor, not only because of its lethality, but also because of its use to threaten and subdue the victims, increasing their vulnerability.
UNLIREC also presented the main findings of the Normative Study on Peru, which addresses the necessary linkage between gender-based violence regulations and small arms regulation and control standards. Good practices from other countries in the region and some recommendations for consideration at the national level were also shared.
The seminar included a presentation by an official from SUCAMEC, who provided a national perspective on the subject. Official statistics on firearms licenses by sex, the conditions for obtaining or renewing a firearms license, including the absence of family violence sentences, and SUCAMEC’s contribution to the enforcement of Law 30364 “Law to prevent, punish and eradicate violence against women and members of the family group” were shared. This, through the denial of gun permits of persons under protection measures issued by the justice system, as well as the denial of gun permits of aggressors, included in the Single Registry of Victims and Aggressors (RUVA) under the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The seminar also joined the efforts of the “Valentine’s Day Gun Free” campaign led by the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA). The campaign was carried out from February 14 to March 8. Under the slogan “Guns do not belong in relationships”, the campaign seeks to raise awareness of the risks of having a gun in the home, violence committed by intimate partners, and the need to promote more effective gun control laws to prevent violence against women, in this case, domestic or intra-family violence.
This webinar was made possible thanks to the support of the European Union through the global project: Support for gender mainstreaming in policies, programs and actions in the fight against trafficking and misuse of small arms, in line with the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
On 24 February 2022, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) hosted the regional webinar on ‘Building a Crime Gun Preventive Strategy in the Caribbean’ with seven CARICOM States. The purpose of the webinar was to discuss eight critical components for implementing preventive crime gun strategies.
Building a preventive crime gun strategy aims at effectively identifying and apprehending shooters and interdicting illicit firearms and ammunition, ultimately reducing the levels of armed violence. The following eight critical components of a successful crime gun preventive strategy were presented: stakeholder buy-in, regional approaches, ballistic imaging, overlaying technologies, knowing offenders and how they interact, using a single intelligence unit, public buy-in and, in the future, expanding a preventative strategy. UNLIREC also highlighted that collaborative efforts between relevant stakeholders, in particular law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies, innovation and ballistic imaging are cornerstones to implementing an effective crime gun preventive strategy.
A total of 58 officials, including 15 women, from ministries of National Security, Police Forces, Defence Forces, and Forensic Laboratories States of the Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago participated in the regional webinar.
This regional webinar, carried out in line with the 2001 UN Porgramme of Action on Small Arms and Sustainable Development Goal 16.4, contributes towards the implementation of Goal 3, ‘Bolster law enforcement capacity to combat illicit firearms and ammunition trafficking and their illicit possession and misuse’ of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap, to regional efforts prevent illicit trafficking of firearms and ammunition, and ultimately reducing firearms-related crimes and armed violence in the Caribbean.
This webinar was made possible thanks to the support of the Government of the United States of America. It forms part of a series of five regional webinars under the US-funded project to support the implementation of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap.
UNLIREC, as the regional organ of the UN Office for Disarmament, seeks to advance the cause of practical disarmament in Latin America and the Caribbean as part of its commitment to support Member States in their implementation of international disarmament and non-proliferation instruments, in particular, the 2001 UN Programme of Action on Small Arms.
On 15 February 2022, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) and the Caribbean Community’s Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS), in collaboration with the Government of Haiti, and with support of the Government of Germany, hosted a virtual Executive Seminar for the Advancement of Haiti’s National Action Plan for the implementation of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap.
Haiti has adopted the ‘Roadmap for Implementing The Caribbean Priority Actions on the Illicit Proliferation of Firearms and Ammunition across the Caribbean in a Sustainable Manner by 2030’ (Caribbean Firearms Roadmap), which consolidates and builds upon the 2019 actions adopted by Caribbean Heads of Governments on addressing the illicit trafficking of firearms in the region.
The Roadmap serves as a base document for Haiti in the elaboration of its National Action Plan (NAP). It includes four main goals: (1) reinforce regulatory frameworks governing firearms and ammunition; (2) reduce the illicit flow of firearms and ammunition into, within and beyond the region; (3) bolster law enforcement capacity to combat illicit firearms and ammunition trafficking and their illicit possession and misuse; and (4) systematically decrease the risk of diversion of firearms and ammunition from government and non-government-owned arsenals. Each goal incorporates pre-defined actions and targets, recommended performance indicators, all in alignment with a timeline, which runs from 2020 to 2030, to coincide with the culmination of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Haiti therefore becomes the 12th State to commence concrete actions contemplated in the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap by taking steps to create its National Action Plan (NAP). A total of 18 representatives of the Office of the Prime Minister, Ministries of Justice and Public Security, Interior, Defense, Women’s Rights, Youth, Sports and Social action, National Commission for Disarmament, Dismantlement and Reinsertion, Airport Authorities, the Office de la protection du Citoyen (NHRC), Departmental delegations, with members of the German, Canadian and U.S. Embassies, and UNLIREC and CARICOM IMPACS participated in the NAP Executive Seminar. Participants discussed the Roadmap and steps needed to map out Haiti’s priorities, plans and timelines for implementing the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap. The successful implementation of the Roadmap will require both the concerted efforts of national authorities, as well as the timely, targeted and coordinated support of regional and international partners and donors.
UNLIREC and CARICOM IMPACS, as the main implementing partners, will lend technical assistance in the elaboration of the NAPs and in their successive implementation. The governments of Canada, Germany, United States of America and the United Kingdom have pledged support to the implementation of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap.
UNLIREC, as the regional organ of the UN Office for Disarmament, seeks to advance the cause of practical disarmament in Latin America and the Caribbean as part of its commitment to support Member States in their implementation of international disarmament and non-proliferation instruments, in particular, the 2001 UN Programme of Action on Small Arms.
From 7 – 10 December 2021 and 15 – 18 February in Jamaica, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in collaboration with the Government of Jamaica hosted two Serial Number Restoration Courses.
Illicit trafficking, possession and use of firearms is a significant challenge across the Caribbean. Organized crime groups mask the origin of firearms by obliterating the serial numbers, facilitating both illegal use and armed violence. The absence of serial numbers on firearms recovered at ports of entry and crime scenes in the Caribbean hinders the ability of States to trace 100% of illicit firearms recovered, which impacts on a State’s ability to understand the illicit origins and routes the weapons take to their country.
As a result, UNLIREC developed national Serial Number Restoration courses that provide technical training to forensic firearms scientists, who are often required to restore the characters and numbers that have been obliterated. These courses are increasing States’ capacity to positively address the tracing of illicit firearms. It is a key and necessary tool to trace firearms back to their last known legal owner, either in Jamaica or in other jurisdictions, by making use of various regional and international tracing platforms. Throughout the region restoration techniques have been used to support criminal investigations, successfully trace firearms and disband trafficking networks.
In Jamaica, 6 women 7 men participated in two serial number restoration courses. Participants included ballistics experts from the Institute of Forensic Science and Legal Medicine, police officers from the Technical Services Division, Jamaica Constabulary Force and lecturers from the University of Technology. The theoretical and practical elements of the course included hands-on experience with various methodologies to recover obliterated serial numbers on firearms. During the courses, serial numbers were recovered on two dozen illicit firearms. Women in disarmament feature prominently in Jamaica where 46% of participants for the training were female, and now join 10 other women in the Caribbean trained to recover serial numbers on firearms.
The Serial Number Restoration course contributes towards the implementation of Goal 3 of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap, ‘Bolster law enforcement capacity to combat illicit firearms and ammunition trafficking and their illicit possession and misuse, and ammunition, and ultimately reducing firearms-related crimes and armed violence in the Caribbean’. The course was made possible thanks to support of the government of the United States of America.
UNLIREC, as the regional organ of the UN Office for Disarmament, seeks to advance the cause of practical disarmament in Latin America and the Caribbean as part of its commitment to support Member States in their implementation of international disarmament and non-proliferation instruments, in particular, the 2001 UN Programme of Action on Small Arms.
