On 15 November 2021, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) hosted the regional webinar on ‘Combatting Ghost Guns’. The objective of the webinar was to discuss the fabrication methodology of privately made firearms, their parts and components, share best practices for investigating privately made firearms, and review the implications of these illicit firearms on forensic analysis.
Eleven CARICOM states, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago were invited for the webinar. Over 30 officials, including 16 women, from the ministries of Foreign Affairs, National Security/ Home Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Police Forces, Defence Forces, Forensic Laboratories, Public Prosecutors Offices, Intelligence Agencies and Customs of the 11 CARICOM States actively participated in the regional webinar.
UNLIREC presented on the characteristics of privately made illicit firearms also known as ghost guns, the materials and tools required to manufacture illicit firearms, important considerations for firearms investigators and shared international experience with investigations of ghost guns. In addition, important recommendations to consider during firearms and toolmark examination of privately made illicit firearms for forensic examiners were highlighted. UNLIREC recognized that the phenomenon of privately made illicit firearms, has not been reported by Caribbean States as prevalent in the region, however, it has the potential add to insecurity. Furthermore, the importance of collaboration between all stakeholders including law enforcement agencies, forensic departments, judiciary, and policy makers to effectively combat privately made illicit firearms was highlighted throughout the webinar.
This regional webinar, carried out in line with the 2001 UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Sustainable Development Goal 16.4, 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.
This webinar was generously sponsored by the United States of America. It forms part of a series of five regional webinars under the US-funded project ‘Combating of Illicit Firearms and Ammunition Trafficking in the Caribbean’.
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.
9 November 2021 – The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) and the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) hosted the 1st Annual Meeting of States to discuss the progress made in the implementation of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap, including the elaboration of National Action Plans (NAPs) for Roadmap implementation. Over 90 representatives from beneficiary Caribbean States, partners and the donor community participated in this online international event to take stock of the progress made to date.
The Roadmap aims to accelerate and bolster States’ efforts to prevent and combat the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons among the 15 CARICOM States and the Dominican Republic. The Roadmap serves as a guiding document for commonly agreed levels of performance at the strategic, policy and operational levels. It was developed in 2019 under the auspices of the Federal Republic of Germany and the United States of America and formally adopted one year ago in October 2020.
The Roadmap takes into consideration the provisions found in the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects (UN 2001 PoA), as well as the legal obligations stemming from the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) and the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and trafficking in Firearms, their Parts and Components and Ammunition (The Firearm Protocol). Its effective implementation will also contribute to the implementation of Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goal 16, with a specific focus on Target 16.4 aimed at significantly reducing arms flow.
To date, three Caribbean States have formally adopted their NAPs, namely Grenada, Belize and Antigua and Barbuda. These Plans outline States priorities in combating the illicit trafficking in firearms and ammunition and help to track progress by serving as a monitoring and tracking tool. Remaining States are also well on their way to progressing towards formal adoption of these Action Plans and thus contributing to enhanced firearms control in the region. Close to USD$ 4 million have been invested in the region over the past two years leading to 70 activities in the implementation of the 4 Roadmap Goals.
As a lead-up to this Meeting, UNLIREC and CARICOM IMPACS – as the co-custodians and main implementing partners of the Roadmap – hosted two prior meetings in October. The first was targeted at the other implementing partners, including the UN Development Programme, UN Office on Drugs and Crime, World Customs Organization, Organization of American States, INTERPOL, and Small Arms Survey, to inform and collaborate on upcoming partner activities in support of the Roadmap. While the second was aimed at the donor community, including Germany, Canada, United States of America, European Union, and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, that provides essential financial support to partners in favour of beneficiary States.
For more information on the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap and the progress made to date, please contact UNLIREC’s Political Affairs Officer, Amanda Cowl, at cowl@unlirec.org.
From 9 – 12 November and from 15 – 18 November, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in collaboration with the Governments of Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda, hosted two Serial Number Restoration Courses.
Obliterating serial numbers on firearms to mask their origin facilitates trafficking and illegal use. Both common practices for criminals. The absence of serial numbers on firearms recovered at crime scenes in the Caribbean hinders the ability of States to trace all illicit firearms. Therefore, national serial number restoration courses were developed to support States’ efforts to address the fact that the forensic firearms scientist are often required to restore the characters and numbers that were obliterated.
In Guyana, twelve firearm examiners, police officers and scientific officers from the Guyana Police Force and Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory, took part in the Serial Number Restoration Course from 9 – 12 November. Similarly, in Antigua and Barbuda from 15 – 18 November, six police officers and forensic analysts from the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda and the Antigua and Barbuda Forensic Services took part in their national Serial Number Restoration Course. Both courses consisted of hands-on use of Magnetic Particle Recovery and Chemical Etching Methods to recover obliterated serial numbers on firearms.
Serial restoration has proven to be a key and necessary tool to trace firearms back to their last known legal owner and make use of the 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.
This course complemented recent initiatives undertaken by both Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda including their adoption of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap and creation of National Action Plans. 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. Both activities were made possible thanks to support of the government of Canada
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.
In recent years, the proliferation of firearms has had repercussions in all parts of society including educational centres in the Latin American and Caribbean region. The readily available arms facilitate students ability to carry firearms to schools, increasing the risk that firearms are present in fights and arguments or used to threaten or cause intentional and accidental shootings leading to injuries and fatalities.
On 9 November 2021, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Panama and the Government of Sweden held the Webinar entitled “Firearms in Schools” to explore this phenomenon and its impact on school safety.
During the event, UNLIREC presented the most relevant findings of its study Firearms in Schools in Latin America and the Caribbean: Approaches, Challenges and Responses. The presentation included an overview of the main characteristics of this phenomenon in recent years in the countries of the region. It also outlined a series of initiatives and measures that have been implemented throughout the region, to address and prevent the presence and use of firearms in schools. UNLIREC also shared a series of recommendations aimed at strengthening responses to this phenomenon and limit its violent impact.
The Panamanian National Police presented the national legal framework, procedures and specific programmes developed to address and prevent violence in schools, including the entry of weapons onto the school grounds.
This webinar was attended by representatives from the educational, security sectors, specialists on children and adolescents and, social development matters, foreign affairs representatives as well as, civil society organisations specialized in these topics. Taking into account the multidimensionality that characterises this phenomenon participants agreed on the importance of strengthening inter-institutional coordination to ensure comprehensive approaches and, above all, to promote actions aimed at preventing armed violence against youth.
This webinar was made possible thanks to the valuable financial contribution of the government of Sweden.
On 8 November 2021, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in collaboration with the Government of Guyana, hosted an online National Tracing Workshop and Roundtable Meeting.
In the Caribbean, thousands of illicit firearms are seized annually. However, not all illicit firearms are traced to identify their last known legal owners. Ineffective procedures and the absence of serial numbers on firearms are factors that hinder the ability of States to trace firearms recovered. These challenges are by the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap, which Guyana have adopted. In this sense, the National Tracing Workshop and Roundtable Meeting were developed to support the State’s efforts to trace firearms and implement the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap.
Nine national officials from the Guyana Police Force, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Defence Force, the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory, and the Customs Department took part in the National Tracing Workshop and the Roundtable Meeting. Participants included operational police officers and analysts responsible for recovering illicit firearms, retrieving trace evidence, analyzing firearm crime data, tracing firearms and collating information on criminal groups. The Workshop included presentations from UNLIREC, Guyana, and the United Kingdom’s National Ballistics Intelligence Service.
The Tracing workshop preceded a Serial Number Restoration course which was undertaken during the same week for representatives of the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory and the Guyana Police Force to enhance the State’s capacity to successfully trace weapons. Both activities were 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 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 Workshop and the Roundtable meeting were made possible thanks to the financial support from the Federal Republic of Germany.
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 8 to 12 November 2021, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) delivered its Interdicting Small Arms, Ammunition, Parts and Components (ISAAPC) course in virtual modality. Thirty (30) officials, including 10 women, from Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda, Antigua and Barbuda Forensic Services, Office of National Drug and Money Laundering Control Policy, Customs and Excise Division actively participated in the course.
The ISAAPC course forms part of the technical assistance provided by UNLIREC within its ‘Combat of Illicit Arms and Ammunition Trafficking in Latin America and the Caribbean (Phase III)’ project. The specialized course aims to strengthen the capacities of States to combat and prevent the illicit trafficking of small arms, ammunition and explosives that is carried out through postal shipments, packages, parcels, and luggage at entry, exit, and transit points in the country.
Based on a theoretical-practical methodology, the participants received specialized training on the fundamental aspects of X-ray technology, technical specifications of small arms, their parts and components, ammunition, and explosives. The course also included an interactive session on concealment methods being employed by traffickers in the region. Furthermore, participants received practical training on an X-ray simulation program developed by the Centre for Adaptive Security Research and Applications (CASRA), thereby enhancing and developing their capacities to detect illicit trafficking through X-ray scanners.
This specialized course, developed in line with 2001 UN Porgramme of Action on Small Arms, Arms Trade Treaty and Sustainable Development Goal 16.4, contributes to regional efforts to prevent illicit trafficking of firearms and ammunition, thereby reducing firearms-related crimes and armed violence in the Caribbean.
The implementation of the ISAAPC course was made possible thanks to the financial support from the Federal Republic of Germany.
