Drug trade fuelling major crime in TT

Expressing his view on transnational security co-operation in the Caribbean on the eve of his visit to Trinidad, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at King’s College London, England, Ben Bowling identified poverty, inequality, the illegal drug trade and the trafficking of firearms as root causes of violent crimes such as kidnapping and gun murders now on the increase in Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

He said that while the market for guns can be stopped with sufficient effort, it was not entirely possible to stem the drug trade while demand in the metropolitan countries remained strong.

Instead, he said "we need to focus on ‘harm minimisation,’ aiming to reduce harms associated with the drug trade. We need to look at the problem in all its complexity – the whole issue of inequality, corruption, and the problems facing young people – and not just the symptoms."

Bowling is one of the featured speakers at the International Conference on Crime and Justice in the Caribbean which will be held at the University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine campus from February 8-11. The conference is hosted by the Centre for Criminology and Criminal Justice and the Faculty of Social Sciences and will carry the theme: "New Challenges for Crime and Justice – From Research to Policy." Bowling will speak on transatlantic police co-operation and its impact on crime.

Although born in England, Bowling’s in-depth studies focusing on the Caribbean emerged out of an appreciation for his Guyanese heritage and his experience in the training and educating of police officers and other criminal justice professionals in New York. One of his early students was former Jamaican Police Commissioner Francis Forbes.

Bowling’s research examined strategic co-operation and attempts to strengthen policing ties among CARICOM countries and the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP) along with international policing agencies such as the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL), the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and with crime liaison officers across the region.

He said that under-resourced police agencies, lack of equipment and facilities, and inadequate training in crime analysis and investigation posed great challenges in law enforcement.

From his Caribbean research, he found that some security officials urged a broader focus on "non-crime" threats such as natural- and man-made disasters and the wider "human security" concerns of political, economic and health security.

"Are we using our resources in the best way possible?" Bowling asked. "Are our efforts to stamp out the drug trade blinding us to the impact on our society of alcohol, guns, corruption, poverty and inequality?"

He said that the issue of transnational crime and policing should be everyone’s concern. "Regional associations and national governments should support a thorough assessment of crime and security in the Caribbean. UWI, alongside civil society, should play a key role in examining the evidence and shaping an agenda for action."

The conference has, among its objective, establishing a research network between persons and institutions engaged in current criminological research with an interest in crime, justice and development in the Caribbean.