Caribbean Commissioners of Police meeting begins

Bridgetown.

A two day meeting of Caribbean Commissioners of Police began in Barbados yesterday at Divi Southwinds Hotel, St Lawrence, Christ Church.

 Chief Justice of Barbados Sir Marston Gibson in his feature address  told the regional chiefs not to consider the  term "turf" when it comes to fighting crime in the region.

Sir Marston said when crime fighting prevention engage in truf war and refuse to share information with each other, the only winner is the criminal.

The Chief Justice said the sharing of information should be natural response and natural instinct. He cited instances where deportees from the United States and Britain returned to the Caribbean with sophisticated understandings of how best to carry out their criminal product.

"I want to urge you to be open and willing to share that crime fighting information among the region. One of the issues that we will face is that civil forfeiture would not only be of properties in your particular territory but properties residing in other territories: for example, a criminal from Barbados being successful in his crime career purchasing property in Jamaica . There is no reason why either the Barbadian or Jamaican authorities should not seek to seize that property and use those funds for the betterment of prevention or detection of crime", Sir Marston said.

The meeting is being attended by commissioners or their representatives from 16 countries.