REDTRAC CREATES IMPACT IN FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS

The Caribbean Regional Drug Law Enforcement Training Centre (Redtrac)
at Twickenham Park, St Catherine, has been at the forefront of the
regional fight against drugs over the past 10 years. Given a mandate
in 1996 to serve the law enforcement needs of different drug control
agencies in 18 English-speaking Caribbean countries, the centre has
effectively carried out its role of training police, customs,
military, port security, immigration officers and computer technology
personnel. Over the 10 years, 1996 to 2006, a total of 5194 law
enforcement officers across the Caribbean, including 3644 Jamaicans,
have been trained at the centre.

The level of training provided by Redtrac has reduced the
English-speaking Caribbean law enforcement officers' dependence on
metropolitan countries for training, says Bertram Millwood, a former
deputy commissioner of police, who has been director principal of
Redtrac since its establishment. He adds that at the same time there
is greater cost effectiveness in satisfying the training needs of
participating countries.

Prior to 1996, officers in Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean
received narcotics training in Canada, the United States and the
United Kingdom. This meant that only a limited number of officers
could be facilitated. Besides, it was costly, and participants were
exposed to some matters not necessarily relevant to the Caribbean
environment. At present, the training provided by Redtrac has greatly
improved relationships among drug law enforcement agencies in the
Caribbean and enhanced cooperation among participating countries.
The continuing focus of the centre is on development of linkages and
rapport among individuals and agencies across the Caribbean.

Initially, emphasis was on teaching general narcotics interdiction
courses, but gradually the centre has included intelligence-gathering,
financial investigations, advanced leadership skills and most
recently the techniques of financial investigation, a product of
collaboration between Redtrac and trainers from the US Treasury. In
this developmental process, the centre shifted its focus to assisting
investigators to take the money out of criminal activities such as
drug trafficking, organised crime and money laundering.

Jamaican graduates from the centre are well equipped to fight drug
trafficking and other related drug crimes. They have made a
significant contribution to the success in the fight against drugs by
the authorities here, including the Narcotics Division of the Jamaica
Constabulary Force. National drug statistics released by the
division show that over the past five years 7,335.64 kg of cocaine,
14 kg crack, 133,680 kg cannabis, 2,904 kg hash oil, 222 kg hashish,
0.59 kg heroin, 146,681 ecstasy tablets have been seized and 31,783
people arrested.

The centre epitomises an institution delivering a consistently high
standard of training across the region, the greatest impact being its
availability to provide continuity and sustainability in
cross-Caribbean training.

Llewellyn calls for professionalism

Meanwhile, in her charge to the graduates at the recent graduation of
Redtrac, Paula V Llewellyn, senior deputy director of public
prosecutions and a first-class criminal lawyer who is slated to
succeed the director Kent Pantry when he retires next year, spoke
about the importance of professionalism. She said that she cannot
think of any other time within recent history of our respective
Caribbean countries more demanding of public servants to have a level
of professionalism, integrity, courage, selfishness and the will to
do the right thing as far as the execution of their public duty is
concerned. She said professionalism is the state or attitude which
mandates "you to treat people with respect irrespective of their
class, race or creed; how you would want to be treated, that is with
respect, in the same way you want to be treated and that you give of
your best in the way that you execute your duties".

Speaking on financial investigation, one of the subjects of the
training, Miss Llewellyn said this was most timely. She was sure that
it would enlarge the cadre of highly trained individuals in law
enforcement who will provide great support in the investigation of
financial or "white-collar" crimes. These crimes are evolving in
quantity and complexity, and showcase the cunning and ingenuity of
perpetrators. She also said these crimes involved several types of
dishonesty, including larceny, forgery, fraud, offences against the
Financial Services Commission Act 2001, Securities Act 1993,
Insurance Act 2001, Pension Act 2001 and attendant regulations, Bank
of Jamaica Act 1960, Financial Institutions Act l992 and the Money
Laundering Act 1996, and require solid investigative expertise to act
as the pillar of support for successful investigation and
prosecution.