Mark Titus, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Minister of National Security, Dr. Peter Phillips, says the fight against organised crime and narco-trafficking in the Caribbean will require the collaborative effort of the entire region in order to be successful.

"Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean sit in the middle of a vast network of criminal activity. We are situated too close to the cocaine-producing region of South America and too close to the cocaine-consuming region of North America," he said.

"The scale of the challenge cannot be underestimated, but this will require the joint effort of every law enforcement entity and the sharing of information."

Dr. Phillips was speaking yesterday at the start of the Organisation of American States (OAS) three-day seminar being held under the theme, 'Organised Crime: A Threat to the Caribbean' at the Rose Hall Resort and Country Club in Montego Bay, St. James.

Call for support

The minister also called for international financial institutions to overcome their reluctance in providing support for law enforcement initiatives.

Director of Public Security at OAS, Christopher Hern?ndez-Roy, said the event is arranged to strengthen national, sub-regional and regional capacities to deal with transnational organised crime in the areas of drug trafficking, firearms trafficking and trafficking in persons, and gangs.