CARIBBEAN ROUNDUP
Antigua
Antigua and Barbuda recorded a
sharp drop in homicides last year in a
single year since 1999.
Speaking at a recent
press conference,
Assistant Commissioner
of Police Atlee
Rodney said that with
just three murders on record, this was
a 75 percent decrease from 2018 and
could be the lowest in any independent
state in the world.
He said the police have recorded the
lowest number of murders in the country
for almost 20 years.
Concerning serious crimes, including
gun-related and violent crimes,
Rodney said these decreased by 42.48
percent when compared to 2018.
He attributed this to the ongoing
ability of law enforcement officers to
remove firearms off the streets.
On the other hand, the overall
number of crimes reported increased
by 634 reports.
He said crimes like petty theft, carbreakings,
hoe invasion and malicious
damage dominated the reports,
accounting for more than half of the
crimes reported.
It was also revealed that criminal
activity increased during the festive
seasons- in April and May during Antigua
Sailing Week and July and August
during Carnival.
In addition, police data showed that
80 percent of crimes committed against
visitors (excluding cruise passengers)
were of a petty nature.
Bahamas
The Bahamas National Commission
on Marijuana is recommending the
legislation of marijuana, the decriminalization
of the possession of up to one
ounce of the substance and is endorsing
the economic benefits of the industry.
In the 98-page preliminary
report, the
commission is of the
view that marijuana
should be decriminalized
and persons allowed to have a
maximum of one ounce in their possession
without prosecution.
“The allowable one ounce of marijuana
may be subject to increase after
a review of implementation,” the report
noted, adding that “recreational marijuana
should be permitted for adults
over the age of 21 and medicinal marijuana
should be permitted for adults
over 18 years of age.
The commission is also recommending
an amendment of the existing legislation
to “allow cultivation maximum of
five plants per household, clearly defining
cultivation and household (for persons
with medical marijuana (cards).
It is also proposing the expungement
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President of the Business and Professional Dominica Chapter, Rhoda St. John, has called for the creation of a Caribbean sex registry.
of all police records reflecting possession
of small amounts of cannabis, noting
that the public “generally felt” that
small amounts of marijuana should not
result in imprisonment.
Dominica
President of the Business and Professional
Dominica Chapter, Rhoda St.
John, is calling for the establishment
of a sex offenders’ registry as part of
a regional initiative to protect women
and children.
She said on state–
owned DBS recently,
“every individual
name per country that
offends children and
has sex with children, rapes women
and we are going to put a list together
and make it public. So in every island
that list would be done once you are
prosecuted and that list would he made
public.”
St. John said that the list would allow
for the sexual offender to be known in
the community so that others can be
aware of that individual.
“If it is going to be approved by government
is another question that is left
to be answered, but we will be advocating
that our laws and the government
that be, look at the sex offenders’ registry
as we would like every Caribbean
island to implement it.”
Guyana
The Guyana Rice Development Board
(GRBD) said it recorded a 20 percent
increase in revenue after exporting
more than half a million tons of paddy,
rice and rice products last year.
In a statement, the
GRDB said that revenue
from exports
totaled US$227.7 million
when compared
with the US$186 million the previous
year.
It said the country exported 526, 617
tons of paddy, rice and rice products
last year, as compared to 470,312 tons
in 2018, an increase of 12 percent.
Venezuela was the country’s main
export market, accounting for 177, 682
tons, or 34 percent of all rice exports.
The sale to Venezuela augurs well for
Guyana, especially after the country
had lost a major market in Venezuela
when the PetroCaribe deal between the
two countries ended.
The GRDB said an estimated 69,956
of rice, valued US$35 million, had been
exported to Caribbean Community
(CARICOM) countries last year with
Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago being
the largest importers accounting for
32,743 tons and 25,417 tons respectively.
Guyana exported rice to 10 CARICOM
countries, including, Antigua ,
Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica,
St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Trinidad and
Tobago, St. Kitts and Suriname.
Jamaica
Jamaica Prime Minister, Andrew Holness
has called for the support of the
church as the government works to put
a dent on crime and violence this year.
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Holness, who
was addressing the
15th annual “Head
the Family, Heal the
Nation” service in the
Corporate area said: “This is going to be
a great year for Jamaicans. We are going
to break the back of the crime problem
and break the back of the violence problem,”
adding, “I know I have the support
of the praying people of Jamaica
and I encourage them to continue to
pray for peace of the country.”
The prime minister said his administration
was taking a comprehensive
approach to combating crime and violence
involving greater use of technology
and garnering the support of the
public.
He said a plan is in place that will be
rolled out shortly.
Holness noted that while there were
calls for “tougher policing,” the government
intends to arrest the crime situation
without abusing anyone’s rights.
Holness, during his address, invited
the leader of the main opposition People’s
National Party (PNP), Dr. Peter
Phillips, to join him onstage in a symbolic
handshake for peace in Jamaica.
St. Lucia
The St. Lucia government says it will
be implementing a Caribbean Community
(CARICOM) Article 164 of the
Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC)
that governs the regional integration
movement from January this year.
The Ministry of Commerce, Interna-
Continued on Page 18
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