As part of a regional effort to advance the use of data to develop policies for crime and violence prevention across the Caribbean, the Government of Barbados has officially signed on two key initiatives offered through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) CariSECURE project.  

The endorsement was announced by the Honourable Adriel Brathwaite, Attorney General and Minister of Home Affairs at a public CariSECURE launch event on February 21, 2018 in Bridgetown, Barbados. During the launch, Honourable Brathwaite signed the project’s Citizen Security Toolkit and announced an eight-member CariSECURE National Task Force comprised of law-enforcement officials who are committed to supporting project implementation in Barbados.

Also in attendance at the launch event were Mr. Christopher Cushing, Mission Director for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Eastern and Southern Caribbean, Ms. Chisa Mikami, Deputy Resident Representative for the UNDP, Barbados and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Mr. Paolo Del Mistro, CariSECURE Team Leader, Task Force members and journalists from several media outlets.

CariSECURE’s Citizen Security Toolkit provides Caribbean governments with a set of guidance tools designed to help them improve how data on violence and crime is collected, shared and used to develop and implement more effective policies and programmes that will lead to greater citizen security.

The National Task Force is made up of senior staff members from several public institutions that deal with crime and violence, including the Royal Barbados Police Force, the Probation Department, the Courts, the Department of Public Prosecution, Prisons, the Statistical Service, Government Industrial School and the Criminal Justice Research and Planning Unit. Given their experience in and understanding of law enforcement issues, Task Force members will be well positioned to tailor the Toolkit to the crime and violence needs of Barbados.

“I am pleased to support the objectives of the newly launched UNDP CariSECURE project in Barbados and the official establishment of the National Task Force which will strengthen evidence-based decision-making for citizen security in Barbados,” said Mrs. Cheryl Willoughby, Director of the Criminal Justice Research and Planning Unit.

“In Barbados like the rest of the Caribbean, there is need for accurate, standardized crime data to enable a scientific approach to decision-making. Reliable data has the potential of reducing crime and violence among the youth population through the implementation of evidence- based policies and programme. The Criminal Justice Research and Planning Unit has the responsibility of collecting and managing crime data and will be working with the CariSECURE team,” she continued.

CariSECURE represents a partnership between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and UNDP, made possible through the generous support of the American People. The Project improves youth crime and violence policy-making and program development in the eastern and southern Caribbean through the use of quality, comparable and reliable national citizen security information. CariSECURE will achieve this goal by strengthening the capacity of regional and national institutions to collect, analyze and use citizen security data to develop evidence-based policies and programs that address root causes of criminal activity, particularly among youth.

To find out more about CariSECURE, check here.