Regional Workshop on Combating Terrorism Opens

The Ministry of Justice, in association with the Justice Training Institute, yesterday (March 31), launched the Commonwealth Project on Capacity Building in Combating Terrorism, at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston.
The project will train 40 trainers and specialists from Jamaica and across the Caribbean.
Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Senator Dorothy Lightbourne lauded the Commonwealth Secretariat for hosting the workshop and explained that Jamaica was committed to counter terrorism initiatives undertaken by the Caribbean Community, Organization of American States, the Commonwealth and the United Nations.
She also emphasized that Jamaica was actively involved in the work of these organizations, since “terrorism is a frightening threat to peace and security, to the political institutions, our values and way of living, to the stability of the global economy and to people everywhere.”
Addressing the gathering, newly installed Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Paula Llewellyn pointed out that two persons in her office would be nominated as points of contact to deal with terrorism related issues.
“I will be nominating two persons who will work in conjunction with the office, to be the points of contact in respect to any matter concerning terrorism, so that we will be dealing with it as a prosecutorial service,” the DPP explained. “We will also be using the representatives to assist the Justice Training Institute with training opportunities, so that all Crown Counsels will be sensitized and equipped to act, if and when we have to meet and deal with terrorism in any form at any time,” she further informed.
The DPP encouraged the participants to “become ambassadors and purveyors of knowledge, so that all of your colleagues in law enforcement can share in the particular skills that you will leave the seminar with.” Meanwhile, Director of the Justice Training Institute, Audrey Sewell explained that the Capacity Building in Combating Terrorism workshop would form part of the core programmes offered by the Institute.
“We recognize that given the fact that resources are limited and that expertise of various kinds does not exist in any one organization or agency, we have to build partnerships, as we seek to fulfill our mandate to train persons locally and across the region with relevant skills,” Mrs. Sewell informed.
Additionally, she said the workshop represented a “meaningful contribution to the building of capacity among the various stakeholder groups within our region in a very proactive manner.”
The workshop will focus on areas, such as International and Regional Initiatives; Human Rights and Legal Issues in Terrorism Cases; Terrorism Financing and Intelligence; Investigation of Terrorist Acts; Interpol and Border Control and Working with the Media and Handling Hostage Cases.
The workshop is funded by the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Canadian government and the Ministry of Justice. Participants are drawn from Dominica,St. Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, Grenada and Jamaica.