Aug 10, 2020 | Uncategorized
On 14 July, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) delivered a webinar on addressing firearms possession and use in Latin American schools. UNLIREC’s recent study on the matter was presented during the one-day on-line seminar. This study included a series of initiatives and measures that have been implemented in some countries of the region, along with various recommendations to strengthen the responses to this phenomenon.
This webinar involved the participation of a representative from the Ministry of Public Education of Costa Rica and a specialist in citizen security issues from Peru. Both provided their national perspectives vis-à-vis the firearms phenomenon in school and the challenges this represents.
This webinar was open to the public and involved the participation of more than 120 people, including representatives of the sectors of education, security, interior, defense, foreign affairs, as well as United Nations agencies, civil society organizations, specialists and public interested in this topic.
Considering that incidents involving the presence and use of firearms in schools across the region have been increasingly recurring over the past few decades, there was broad agreement on the need to pay greater attention to this phenomenon, as well as to have specific responses and tools to guarantee a comprehensive and articulated approach. Above and beyond its most visible impacts (injuries and deaths), firearms in schools represent a serious obstacle to guaranteeing safe and violence-free learning spaces for boys, girls, adolescents and young people in the region.
This activity, made possible thanks to the funding provided by the Government of Sweden, forms part of a series of virtual forums that UNLIREC will be organizing with the aim of facilitating dialogue concerning this lamentable and growing phenomenon.
Aug 10, 2020 | Uncategorized
UNLIREC held its three-part Ballistic Intelligence Management Workshop for personnel from the Royal Barbados Police Force during June and July. Due to the COVID pandemic, the centre had to restructure its training to a virtual format.
The first activity, delivered from 15 to 26 of June, focused on the creation of a physical Open Case File for the Firearm Examiners. The creation, maintenance and searching of an OCF are powerful tools in the provision of both intelligence and evidence.
UNLIREC´s Technical advisor guided RBPF officials on how to document and populate the Physical OCF. Training content included, inter alia, OCF Search Protocols, Monitoring Forms, Documentation of Hit Reports for Dissemination. Physical crime scene ballistic exhibits from unsolved gun crimes were reviewed and subsequently placed in the OCF, according to relevant characteristics and marks. Three firearm examiners and one IBIS Technician participated in this first activity.
As part of its assistance to create and implement the OCF, UNLIREC procured the specialized evidence boxes and labels for Barbados in preparation for the Open Case File component of the Ballistic Intelligence Workshop.
Following the completion of the OCF workshop in June, UNLIREC advanced discussions around ballistic intelligence management and inter agency coordination. During 13-17 July, a number of bilateral meetings were held with personnel from various units within the RBPF, including, inter alia, the Senior Command Team, Special Branch, Firearm Examiners Section, Major Incident Room, Police Command Center, Major Crimes Unit, Drug Squad and Financial Crimes Investigation Unit.
The workshop culminated on 17 July with an online roundtable meeting on broader ballistic intelligence management issues. Some of the topics discussed include documenting and disseminating HIT reports, mapping and analysis of firearms and ammunition crime as well as inter-agency coordination. A total of 16 RBPF officials participated in the workshops.
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. This specialized training was made possible thanks to the support of the government of the United States of America.
Jul 23, 2020 | Uncategorized
From 23-26 June 2020, UNLIREC participated in the Sub-regional training on Strategic Trade Control Enforcement organized by the World Customs Administration (WCO). The online training was held to support more than 180 Caribbean customs officers in strengthening their skills to identify strategic goods commonly traded in the Caribbean and that could be illegally diverted to weapons of mass destruction (WMD) proliferation activities.
UNLIREC was invited to deliver a presentation to introduce its Guide to Control List and the WMD Caribbean Focus List, which are practical tools aimed at providing States with an easy-to-read guide to implement national licensing frameworks to regulate strategic trade flows and to support custom and border officers with the identification of strategic goods commonly traded in said region. UNLIREC’s WMD Focus List of dual-use materials, which was developed based on the Caribbean trading context, was used by instructors as a practical tool to showcase the physical elements to consider in identifying strategic goods.
UNLIREC is delivering an assistance project to support Latin American and Caribbean countries in their implementation of relevant international instruments and initiatives in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation of WMDs, most notably, UNSC Resolution 1540 (2004).
For more information on UNLIREC visit (www.unlirec.org.). Please direct all questions or inquiries to: Ms Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer, at (cowl@unlirec.org).
Jul 23, 2020 | Uncategorized
Arms control measures occupy a prominent spot in both national and international security agendas. In contrast, specific measures for the control of ammunition tend to be more limited. Given the increasing need to tackle proliferation, diversion and trafficking, UNLIREC reviewed relevant legislation of Latin American and Caribbean States and subsequently developed a regional study entitled “Ammunition Control in Latin America and the Caribbean”.
The study was launched on 23 July to over 40 officials from national state agencies with responsibilities for ammunition controls and civil society representatives from across Latin America. Through this webinar, UNLIREC sought to underscore the need for the establishment and effective implementation of ammunition control measures, given that the proliferation and diversion of ammunition, and the lack of appropriate security conditions during stockpiling and handling, ultimately contribute to armed violence and illicit trafficking in the region.
The study focused on the legal norms that Latin American and Caribbean States have enacted regarding ammunition control and thus, it does not include an analysis of how those provisions are applied in the region. The Centre presented some key provisions that are contained in the legal frameworks of the region with an emphasis on aspects such as competent national authorities that apply ammunition controls; regulations on ammunition production/manufacturing; international transfer controls of ammunition; trade controls of ammunition at the national level; consumption reports of dealers and users of ammunition; security measures in ammunition transportation; ammunition stockpile security measures; ammunition marking; ammunition reloading and final disposal. Some legal provisions that are not so common but relevant for the region were also highlighted, including ammunition marking.
UNLIREC hopes that both the study and the webinar will contribute to promoting national and regional dialogue on the importance of implementing effective ammunition control measures to tackle its illegal proliferation and trafficking. UNLIREC’s Legal Study: “Ammunition Control in Latin America and the Caribbean” will be made available on its website shortly. The study was developed with the financial support of the Government of Germany.
For more information on UNLIREC, visit www.unlirec.org. Please direct all questions or inquiries to: Ms. Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer at cowl@unlirec.org.
Jul 17, 2020 | Uncategorized
Over the past few decades, media reports of incidents involving firearms in schools have been increasingly recurring in many countries of the region. These incidents include firearms found inside schools, students who are caught carrying firearms among their belongings, armed students who threaten and intimidate their classmates and teachers, injuries and fatalities as a result of intentional and accidental gunshots inside schools, and even shootings. This phenomenon poses enormous challenges in ensuring safe learning spaces for girls, boys, adolescents and young people in the region.
Within this context, and to better contribute to the understanding and approach of this problem about which little has been investigated, UNLIREC recently developed a study entitled ‘Firearms in Latin American and Caribbean Schools: Approaches, Challenges and Responses’.
In addition to providing a regional overview of the subject, this study also touches on a series of measures to accurately address the presence and use of firearms in schools, which is available to States, civil society, school communities and other actors working in the areas of citizen security, arms control and school violence prevention. These measures are already being implemented in some countries of the region.
The initiatives included in this study include protocols and guidelines for intervention against the presence and use of firearms, tools for gathering information and records of incidents, safe gun storage measures at home, as well as education and awareness campaigns, among others.
This effort is aligned with the United Nations Secretary-General’s Disarmament Agenda “Securing our Common Future”, Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, and United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security.
Raising awareness about the presence and use of firearms in schools and their real and potential impacts, as well as implementing public policies and other joint initiatives to strengthen current efforts in this area, is a key task for the various actors and sectors involved in these issues.
UNLIREC thanks the support of the different governments, international organizations, civil society organizations, and experts who contributed to the data and information in order to develop this study.
This initiative forms part of a larger project on firearms in Latin American and Caribbean schools made possible thanks to the funding provided by the Government of Sweden.
Jul 10, 2020 | Uncategorized
On 4 and 5 June 2020 respectively, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in collaboration with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, conducted a second round of basic training on comparison microscopy for forensic ballistics and on an introduction to forensic ballistics for crime scene investigators.
These events sought to improve casework management by reviewing and developing streamlined work processes, case allocation protocols and a National Action Plan (NAP) to manage unprocessed ballistics casework in Trinidad and Tobago. The NAP aims to build capacity in both the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) and Forensic Science Centre (TTFSC) by providing introductory training in ballistics for police officers and further integrate the Firearms Technicians at the Firearms Section by building capacity in comparison microscopy.
On 4 June, introductory training and awareness of operational forensic ballistics for police armourers and police officials assigned to the Special Evidence Recovery Unit of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service was delivered remotely to ten participants. The aim of this course was to provide participants, all of whom are new to the discipline, with an understanding of Operational Forensic Ballistics, UNLIREC SOPs on the Collection and Collation of Crime Scene Evidence, Firearms Safety during Forensic Processes and Test Firing Procedures.
Whilst the first round of the basic training on comparison microscopy to firearm technicians at the TTFSC was delivered in person, round two was delivered virtually due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Four firearm technicians and one police armourer participated in the June 5 online training. This entailed an overview of the fundamentals of comparison microscopy and its role in the providing evidence and intelligence to the criminal justice system, the organization and importance of Open Case Files, latest developments and experiences of the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI) and the fundamentals of class mark databases.
For one week prior to the live online sessions, participants engaged in self-based learning through access to UNLIREC developed pre-recorded materials on the CBSI Connect learning management system.
The Introduction to Forensic Ballistics and Comparison Microscopy training along with CBSI Connect were made possible thanks to the 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.
