The United States Government, in collaboration with the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, today  launched a National Task Force aimed at improving citizen security data management, analysis, and monitoring for crime reduction. 

Prime Minister and Minister of Legal Affairs the Honorable Ralph Gonsalves gave the feature address at the launch and fully endorsed the goals of the program.  He also signed the agreement to implement the Citizen Security Toolkit developed under the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) CariSECURE project. “We want to assure the international community that we take a serious position on enhancing citizen security. We are serious and that is why I believe that serious people are taking us seriously,” the Prime Minister maintained. “In addressing the launch, US Ambassador to Barbados and the OECS, Linda Taglialatela, said the CariSECURE Project had a critical role to play in contributing to the reduction of crime and violence in the region. 

“Through the CariSECURE project, we are promoting an evidence-based approach to responding to crime, which is critical for policy makers who allocate national and community resources, and law enforcement officials who make strategic and tactical decisions in fighting crime,” she said.

Deputy Resident Representative for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Barbados and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, Chisa Mikami, stated: “The CariSECURE Project is keen to support St. Vincent and the Grenadines in implementing the Caribbean Citizen Security Toolkit that will assist with promoting evidence-based approaches to crime prevention including youth.”

Mission Director USAID Eastern and Southern Caribbean, Christopher Cushing, also gave an overview of USAID’s wider Youth Empowerment Services (YES) project of which CariSECURE is a component. “We are excited about the impact which our Youth Empowerment Services Project is having on the lives of vulnerable youth across the Caribbean. The United States Government remains committed to supporting at-risk youth and their families in order to create more stable homes, communities, nations and by extension, a safer Caribbean region.”

The Task Force will drive the management and coordination of the Citizen Security Toolkit  that introduces various instruments to standardize the collection of crime, violence, and victimization data by law enforcement personnel in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and nine other Caribbean nations. Members will also assess the strengths and weaknesses in data collection and dissemination to better identify the path forward... 

The Caribbean Citizen Security Toolkit represents an in depth collaboration between USAID, UNDP, host-governments, and stakeholders including the CARICOM Secretariat, the Regional Security System, and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission. 

CariSECURE is a component of USAID’s Youth Empowerment Services (YES) Project, which aims to build the region’s capacity to effectively address youth crime and violence through the use of reliable national citizen security information. It represents a partnership between USAID and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), made possible by the support of the American People.