UNLIREC and Trinidad Tobago join forces to combat
illicit firearms trafficking and destroy weapons

10 October 2011

 

From 10 to 21 October 2011, the United Nations Office for Disarmament’s Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) will train 60 security sector personnel and destroy firearms and ammunition in cooperation with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago as part of their joint efforts to combat the illicit trafficking in firearms, strengthen the capacity of the country’s security forces and reduce armed violence in Trinidad and

Arms and ammunition seized in Trinidad and Tobago in September 2011. Photo: T&T Newsday

 Tobago and the region.

 

A formal destruction ceremony by the TTPS will be held on 15 October 2011 at the St. James Police Barracks to demonstrate the commitment of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to join forces with the UN to combat and eradicate illicit trafficking in weapons and ammunition. “Destruction is the best, and irreversible, way to ensure that surplus weapons and illicit firearms, including those confiscated from criminals, do not find their way back into the hands of those who threaten the lives of innocent and the security of communities” declared Ms. Agnès Marcaillou, representative of the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs.

 

During the same period, UNLIREC will also train 60 military, police and law enforcement personnel, women and men alike, during a 10-day comprehensive course addressing all aspects of illicit firearms trafficking. The Office for Disarmament Affairs’ Regional Disarmament Centres, which includes UNLIREC, serve over 135 countries worldwide and assists them in the implementation of arms control and disarmament programmes, such as the implementation of the 2001 UN Programme of Action on Small Arms. UNLIREC and Trinidad Tobago join forces to combat illicit firearms trafficking and destroy weapons

Source: UNLiREC

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