Criminals are moving across borders, using technology and exploiting weaknesses between countries and Guyana’s Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond says law enforcement must keep up.
Addressing the 27th Americas INTERPOL Regional Conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Wednesday, Walrond said the threats facing Guyana and the wider Americas are becoming increasingly difficult to contain within national borders.
“The threats confronting our countries do not recognise the boundaries on our maps,” she said.
Walrond pointed to narcotics trafficking, illegal firearms, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, cybercrime, financial crime and money laundering as among the major threats confronting the region.
But she said the bigger challenge is the way criminal organisations are adapting.
She said they are exploiting legitimate trade and transportation systems, financial networks and technology, while operating across digital platforms and taking advantage of differences between national jurisdictions.
And when countries fail to work together, she warned, criminals can use those differences to their advantage.
“When law enforcement operates in isolation, these gaps become opportunities for criminals,” she said.
Walrond said Guyana must strengthen its use of INTERPOL’s databases, notices, diffusions and 24-7 global police information system.
She also called for faster intelligence sharing, stronger border screening and closer coordination among police, immigration, customs and anti-narcotics agencies.
The minister said the objective should not simply be to respond after criminal activity takes place, but to identify and disrupt criminal networks before they can exploit gaps between jurisdictions.
“No country can effectively confront transnational organised crime alone,” Walrond said.
She said regional cooperation must become practical and continuous. “Partnership must be a operational reality,” she said.
Source: NEW ROOMS SITE
