Mar 14, 2016 | Uncategorized
From 14 to 18 of March, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in collaboration with the Government of the Bahamas and the Government of St Kitts and Nevis, held a series of hands-on forensic ballistics training exercises in Nassau and Basseterre. These exercises represent the second round of assistance held under the framework of UNLIREC’s Caribbean Operational Forensic Ballistics Assistance Package, which is made possible thanks to the support of the US Department of State and the Government of Canada.
The training exercises enabled firearms examiners from the Royal Bahamas Police Force and officials from the Royal St Kitts and Nevis Police Force to gain in-depth knowledge on specific UNLIREC Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), such as bullet damaged items, forensic examination of firearms, comparison microscopy, open case file, and range of fire (shot pattern determination). The activities also included a series of practical exercises, including comparing cartridge cases and bullets using a comparison microscope, and assembling an open case file and determining range of fire with bulleted cartridge firearms and shot guns. The exercises provided participants with the opportunity to exchange best practices, discuss challenges faced in the field, as well as practice new methods and technology in order to build more substantial cases and solid evidence.
For the third round of project assistance to the Government the Bahamas and the Government of St Kitts and Nevis, UNLIREC will be promoting the implementation of a series of collaborative exercises derived from forensic ballistic SOPs as a tool for determining staff competencies in key functional areas.
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.
For more information on UNLIREC visit (www.unlirec.org). Please direct all questions or inquiries to Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer (cowl@unlirec.org).
Mar 14, 2016 | Uncategorized
The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) continues advancing with the implementation of its “Strengthening Oversight and Building Capacities for Small Arms Control and Nonproliferation in the Private Security Sector” project in El Salvador.
In March 2016, UNLIREC supported the government of El Salvador in the secondary marking of small arms belonging to the private security companies participating in this project. This type of marking, conducted with laser technology, contributes to improvements in the private security companies` stockpile management systems. Likewise, secondary marking – taking place after the initial marking phase, which occurs at the time of manufacture– allows for the identification and tracing of weapons, in a timely and reliable manner from the point of manufacture to importation to transit to the ultimate end user, supporting administrative and criminal investigations.
The marking process consists of placing unique markings on firearms, including the importing country code, a three-letter code – assigned by national authorities – which identifies the company that is purchasing the weapons, and the year of marking. This marking process is in line with El Salvador`s legislation that requires that weapons marked upon import since 2013. Accordingly, El Salvador is making important progress in meeting its international obligations to tackle the illicit trade of small arms and light weapons. To date, within the framework of this project, more than 200 private security weapons have been marked in El Salvador.
Since July 2015, UNLIREC has been implementing this project, which provides technical assistance to both the Salvadoran national responsible for regulating the private security sector, as well as to the private security companies that provided armed security services. This project is made possible with the financial support from the Federal Government of Germany.
UNLIREC conducts these project activities in collaboration with the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF). The project`s main goal is to promote internationally accepted standards, good practices and initiatives in the private security sector, in line with the United Nations International Small Arms Control Standards (ISACS) and the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATGs).
Through this assistance package, UNLIREC supports Latin American and Caribbean States strengthen public security and the implementation of the UN Programme of Action on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects (UN 2001 PoA).
For more information about UNLIREC, visit (www.unlirec.org) or contact Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer, (cowl@unlirec.org).
Mar 5, 2016 | Uncategorized
From 3 to 5 of May, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in collaboration with the Government of Belize carried out a series of activities on standard operating procedures (SOP) adaptation and harmonization in Belize city. These exercises represent the second round of assistance held under the framework of UNLIREC’s Caribbean Operational Forensic Ballistics Assistance Package, which is made possible thanks to the support of the US Department of State and the Government of Canada.
The training exercises enabled four firearms examiners from the National Forensic Sciences Services (NFSS) to gain in-depth knowledge on how to develop and improve their Standard Operating Procedures, how to present expert testimonies in a court setting and, finally, how to double-cast bullets and cartridges for use in training and information sharing with neighbouring countries. The exercises provided participants with the opportunity to exchange best practices, discuss challenges faced in the field as well as practice new methods and technology in order to build more substantial cases and solid evidence.
Parallel to training activities, a workshop on coordination between justice system operators related to forensic ballistics evidence management and information sharing allowed the stakeholder to address gaps in existing communication and cooperation frameworks.
For the third round of project assistance to the Government of Belize, UNLIREC will be promoting the implementation of a series of collaborative exercises derived from forensic ballistic SOPs as a tool for determining staff competencies in key functional areas of: firearms examination and identification, ammunition examination and identification and trigger pull.
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.
For more information on UNLIREC visit (www.unlirec.org). Please direct all questions or inquiries to Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer (cowl@unlirec.org).
Feb 29, 2016 | Uncategorized
From February 29 to March 3rd, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in collaboration with the government of Jamaica, held a training course on country-specific ballistic priorities in order to consolidate national capacity in those areas. This course is the second training held under the framework of UNLIREC’s Caribbean Operational Forensic Ballistics Assistance Package, which is made possible thanks to the support of the US Department of State and the Government of Canada.
The three-day training course on operational forensic ballistics enabled 18 participants, including firearms examiners and technicians to gain in-depth knowledge and practice on topics, such as health and safety, small arms ammunition examination, muzzle energy determination and range of fire. The course included developing health and safety messages, identifying ammunition and ammunition viability, calculating muzzle energy and a series of practical exercises on shot pattern determination. Participants also had the opportunity to exchange best practices and challenges faced in the field and to practice new methods and technology in order to build more substantial cases and solid evidence.
UNLIREC also handed over the first set of materials assigned to each country as part of the assistance package to officials from the Firearms Licensing Authority and of the Forensic Laboratory.
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.
For more information on UNLIREC visit (www.unlirec.org). Please direct all questions or inquiries to Amanda Cowl, Political Affairs Officer (cowl@unlirec.org).
Feb 6, 2016 | Uncategorized
The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) attended the inauguration of the newly renovated arms and ammunition depot of the National Regulatory Entity for Security Service, Firearms, Ammunition and Explosives for Civilian Use (SUCAMEC). The depot was modernized with new furniture and high-security equipment as part of the technical assistance that UNLIREC is providing to SUCAMEC within the framework of its project entitled: Strengthening Oversight and Building Capacities for Small Arms Control and Non-proliferation in the Private Security Sector.
This renovated depot keeps arms and ammunition for civilian use in temporary custody, particularly those belonging to private security companies. A total of 16 clauses of the International Small Arms Control Standards (ISACS) and 12 clauses of the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATGs) were incorporated into the redesign and remodelling of the depot, thus allowing for improvements in the physical security, access control, and storage, registration and record-keeping management of the arms and ammunition.
UNLIREC provided expert guidance on the arms depot remodelling process and donated equipment and materials to SUCAMEC, such as steel shelves, metallic doors, high-security padlocks, barcode reader and printer. Furthermore, 28 bullet traps were donated to all SUCAMEC’s offices nationwide, as well as HAZMAT signs that should be placed in the vicinity of ammunition storage as a supplementary security measure. The SUCAMEC’s arms depot is now in compliance with high-security international standards and good practices to ensure proper management of arms depots. The renovated arms depot will serve as a model for other SUCAMEC offices and private security companies nationwide, among other state agencies .
Under the umbrella of UNLIREC’s private security project, the Regional Ceentre promotes international standards on arms and ammunition management by private security companies and SUCAMEC, as a control and regulatory agency responsible for private security services in Peru, in order to prevent diversion, theft, or firearms accidents. This project is implemented by UNLIREC in partnership with the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) with the economic support of the Federal Republic of Germany.
UNLIREC supports Latin American and Caribbean States in strengthening public security and the UN Programme of Action on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in all its Aspects (UN 2001 PoA).
Feb 2, 2016 | Uncategorized
As part of the integral technical assistance package that UNLIREC is delivering in Jamaica for strengthening the implementation of resolution 1540 (2004), the UNLIREC team worked together with officials from FBI to provide training for law enforcement officials for the detection and handling of sensitive dual use chemical materials and improvised explosives from 2-4 January 2016 in the country’s capital, Kingston. In particular, this initiative falls under operative paragraph 3 of UNSCR 1540, which calls on States to develop and maintain appropriate effective physical protection measures to account for and secure sensitive materials in production, use, storage or transport.
During the workshop, 30 participants from seven different government agencies, including the Police Force, Defense Force, Customs, Port Authority, among others, had the opportunity to study some of the main chemicals and potential explosive material that is readily available in the island. The theoretical sessions included a basic introduction to explosives and improvised explosives, detection of sensitive chemicals, processing of crime scenes and post blast scenarios. These sessions were further complemented by practical demonstrations at the range, where instructors conducted controlled explosions to demonstrate the potential risks of some of the elements procured.
Issues such as the importance of interagency collaboration for effective border controls, dialogue and outreach with the relevant industry, control lists for dual use chemicals and sustained training were highlighted during the course.
The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) is the only UN regional entity specialized in disarmament and non-proliferation in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Its main function is to translate the decisions, instruments and commitments of Member States in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation into action, at national, sub-regional and regional levels.
