ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC -The Trinidad-based Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS) is assisting Dominica in strengthening its firearms ballistic capabilities.
CARICOM IMPACS Assistant Director who manages the agency’s policy, strategy, innovation, and research portfolios, Callixtus Joseph, told a three-day inter-institutional roundtable meeting here that a new explosive storehouse will also be constructed in Dominica and that the intervention is part of a broader effort to assist the island in dealing with illicit weapons. Joseph said CARICOM IMPACS is committed to strengthening the country’s capacity to address firearms-related issues.
“We are also pleased to note that CARICOM IMPACS is currently strengthening Dominica’s firearms ballistic capabilities through the provision of brass track support and equipment. In addition, we are providing firearms marking instruments to the police service and supporting the introduction of a modern digital firearms licensing and registration system in Dominica.
“This is not just about digitizing systems in Dominica…it is about helping Dominica to build a more modern, efficient, and accountable firearms licensing and registration regime, one that is better aligned with national legislation, international best practice, but better able to support traceability and better equipped to (3:37) support oversight and administration.”
He said that the agency, which serves as a nerve center of the region’s new multilateral crime and security management architecture, specifically designed to administer a collective response to the crime and security priorities of member states, is also working closely with the Dominica government and the police to identify suitable land for the construction of a new explosive storehouse.
“In the coming weeks, CARICOM Impacts, together with our partner MAG, will be providing further training, especially in demolition and disposal of unserviceable weapons and explosives,” Joseph said.
The three-day event is being hosted by the Ministry of National Security and Legal Affairs, in collaboration with the United Nations Regional Center for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) and CARICOM IMPACS.
The ministry said that the purpose of this engagement, which ends on Friday, is to bolster national efforts to tackle the issues of illegal firearms and armed violence and has brought together high-level representatives from across government sectors, including national security, policing, justice, foreign affairs, gender affairs, and monitoring and evaluation, among other key institutions.
It said the discussions are part of Dominica’s continued push to advance the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap, a regional initiative focused on curbing illicit weapons trafficking, reducing violence, and enhancing public safety throughout the Caribbean.
Delegates will participate in policy exchanges, technical briefings, and structured sessions designed to improve collaboration among agencies, strengthen firearm control frameworks, and advance Dominica’s National Action Plan under the Roadmap.
The main areas of focus will include the trafficking of firearms, legislative measures, systems for marking and tracing weapons, management of firearms and ammunition, prevention of diversion, and the use of data to inform decision-making.
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