Belize
City, Friday, 19 July 2019 (CRFM)— Eighteen border control officers
from seven Member States of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries
Mechanism (CRFM) are currently undergoing a four-week training
course in Fisheries Prosecution and Interdiction, organized by the
Barbados-based Regional Security System (RSS) in collaboration with
the CRFM Secretariat, the Government of Barbados, and the British
Royal Navy’s Fisheries Protection Squadron.

The
training, being held at the Paragon Base of the Barbados Defense
Force, brings together officers of the Antigua and Barbuda Defense
Force Coast Guard; Antigua and Barbuda Fisheries Division; Barbados
Coast Guard; Royal Barbados Police Force Marine Unit; Barbados
Fisheries Division; Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force; Royal
Grenada Police Force Marine Unit; the St. Kitts-Nevis Defense Force
Coast Guard; Royal Saint Lucia Police Force Marine Unit; and the
Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force Coast Guard.

The
course is expected to improve the skills and competencies of
authorized officers responsible for enforcing the Fisheries Acts and
Fisheries Regulations, and supporting administrative policies.

Participants
are increasing their ability to function in an operational
environment and in accordance with best practices based on the CRFM’s
Prosecution and Enforcement Manuals for CARIFORUM Member States:
Volume 1 – Fisheries Prosecution Manual; and Volume 2 – Fisheries
Enforcement Standard Operating Procedures Manual.

These
officers who have border security and fisheries prosecution
responsibilities, will become more knowledgeable of the correct
procedures to follow while enforcing the laws under their Fisheries
Acts and Regulations. They will also become better able to prepare
for trial proceedings where offences are committed in violation of
the Fisheries Laws and where illegal, unreported or unregulated (IUU)
fishing is perpetrated. IUU fishing is a major concern for the
region, since it undermines efforts to conserve and sustainably
manage fisheries resources and furthermore jeopardizes food security,
livelihoods, and foreign exchange earnings from fisheries.

The
subject matter experts who facilitated the course were drawn from the
Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) Secretariat; the Office
of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) – Barbados; the Royal
Barbados Police Force Marine Unit; Royal Navy – Fisheries
Protection Squadron; the Fisheries Division of the Ministry of
Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy – Barbados; and the Regional
Security System Headquarters. Successful participants will be awarded
an RSS Certificate of Training for the completion of the Fisheries
Prosecution and Interdiction course.

This
course was jointly funded by the European Union through the 10th
EDF Project and Regional Security System (RSS). The RSS is an
international agreement for the defense and security of the Eastern
Caribbean region. The seven member nations are: Antigua and Barbuda,
Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Member
States cooperate in the prevention and interdiction of trafficking in
illegal narcotic drugs, in national emergencies, search and rescue,
immigration control, fisheries protection, customs and excise
control, maritime policing duties, natural and other disasters,
pollution control, combating threats to national security, the
prevention of smuggling, and in the protection of offshore
installations and exclusive economic zones. The RSS also provides
training for joint land and maritime operations, disaster relief,
anti-drug operations and antiterrorism, and intelligence gathering
and sharing.

Photos:

1. Border
   control officers and facilitators attending Fisheries Prosecution
   and Interdiction training
   
2. Participants
   working on cases for mock trial
   

ABOUT THE
CRFM:

The
Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism
(CRFM) was officially inaugurated on 27 March 2003 in Belize City,
Belize, where it is headquartered, following the signing of the
“Agreement Establishing the CRFM” on February 4, 2002. It is an
inter-governmental organization whose mission is “to promote and
facilitate the responsible utilization of the region's fisheries and
other aquatic resources for the economic and social benefits of the
current and future population of the region.”