LaTonya Linton, Gleaner Writer
JAMAICAN FORENSIC accountant, Collin Greenland, has become the first Caribbean national to be awarded status as a member of the American College of Forensic Examiners (ACFEI).
"I feel honoured and delighted on becoming the first Caribbean national to be awarded a member of the AFCEI," Mr. Greenland said yesterday. "At first I didn't think it was a big achievement, I was, however, pleasantly surprised when I heard the news."
The ACFEI is an international membership association, developed to bring together professionals from a variety of disciplines to provide a reliable, credible forum for ethical and professional standards for forensics. The ACFEI includes forensic professionals actively engaged in fields of medicine, psychology, criminology, and dentistry, toxicology, crime scene reconstruction and polygraphs among others.
Mr. Greenland attended Jamaica College before entering the University of the West Indies (UWI) where he studied management and accounting. He not only became the first Caribbean national to be awarded membership in the ACFEI, but he became the first Jamaican to become a certified Fraud Examiner as well as a certified Financial Services Auditor.
"I would definitely encourage anyone to become a forensic accountant, it is an excellent career opportunity," Mr. Greenland said. "It has good earning power and it is very intriguing," he said.
"I am convinced that crime is one of Jamaica's biggest problem, particularly corruption," he added. "Most of the crime is facilitated by white-collar crime. In order to make an impact on violent crime in Jamaica we have to go the white-collar route."
Mr. Greenland said he wanted to assist in curbing crime in Jamaica by putting restrictive and preventative mechanisms in place.
In his capacity as a forensic accountant, Mr. Greenland acts as an expert witness on fraud and forensic accounting in the United States of America and the Caribbean. He is also the editor of the "White Collar Journal" and currently serves as Deputy Chairman of the Government of Jamaica Audit Commission.
