National Security Minister Steadroy Benjamin, has been glowing in his praise for
the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) which is celebrating its
100 th anniversary with Antigua and Barbuda, joining in celebrating this
achievement.
Speaking at a special celebratory event on Thursday, Benjamin noted that today,
Interpol has a membership of 195 countries including Antigua and Barbuda
working together with police all over the world, to detect crime and criminals and
to collaborate when the crime extends beyond borders.
“The INTERPOL shares data on criminal activities and criminals, putting out
notices when criminals are believed to be outside of the jurisdiction where the
crime may have occurred. Drug trafficking and Cybercrimes are among two of the
most threatening crimes which undermine the rule of law and the certainty which
Caribbean civilization needs to flourish,” the National Security Minister explained.
He noted that the leaders of our country rely on Interpol to provide background
checks and other profiles on persons of interest. “Given the small size of our
population and given the near-absence of anonymity within our borders, the
INTERPOL resources which Antigua and Barbuda usually relies upon tend to seek
certainty about new citizens from faraway places,” he added.
According to Benjamin the government is quite concerned about the rising rate of
gun-related crimes and it intends to take decisive action to combat this scourge on
the society.
“What causes the people of Antigua and Barbuda great alarm is the use of firearms
to commit crimes and the presence of guns that have come through our porous
borders into the hands of criminals. On Wednesday, September 6, 2023, the
Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda summoned the top brass of both the Police and
the Military to its meeting. The focus of that meeting was on an escalation of gun
crimes and seeking to find solutions to this embryonic trend. Everything has to be
done to make this issue go away. Finding the source of the firearms and plugging
those holes is an objective that my government is vigorously pursuing,” he
declared.
He also spoke of the government’s determination to fight cybercrimes similar to
the one attempted against APUA a few weeks ago.
