Klao Bell and Erica Virtue , Staff ReportersJamaica will be seeking to extend the Shiprider agreement is has with the United States, to other countries, so that the country can better defend itself against drug traffickers.
Dr. Peter Phillips, Minister of National Security, told The Sunday Gleaner that the aim is make the agreement multilateral so other countries can intercept boats suspected of drug trafficking in Jamaican waters.
"We want to formalise the Shiprider agreement to incorporate other countries," a tired sounding Minister Phillips said by phone, on Friday, after a day of touring police stations in western parishes.
The Shiprider agreement was signed between Jamaica and the U.S. in 1997, during which time there has been the interception of drug speed boats and the seizure of drugs in joint operations by U.S. and Jamaica.
The 2000 International Narcotics Strategy Report says that joint US Coast Guard/DEA/Jamaica Constabulary Force and Jamaica Defence Force operations were responsible for seizing 780 kilograms or about half of the drugs seized in Jamaican waters that year.
The agreement though, still has minor "logistical difficulties" to be sorted out, sources tell The Sunday Gleaner.
One difficulty is that Jamaica insists that three local officers should be present when a boat is being searched. However, this means that U.S. boats, which usually have their full staff complement, would
have to let off some of their officers to facilitate the Jamaican officers.
Under the agreement too, Jamaica is to benefit from technical assistance from the U.S. This will manifest this year in a gift of three speed boats, which sources say, have already been identified.
The Minister did not indicate if dialogue had already begun on the subject of expanding Shiprider.
He said, however, that whatever crime fighting assistance overseas law enforcement agencies and officials had been providing the country will continue, and will be critical in the fight against crime in Jamaica.
According to the Minister, "We get a lot of assistance from several overseas countries, including the United States, Britain and Canada. What we will be doing is to build on that assistance and actively discuss other areas of co-operation."
One of the current areas of co-operation include the tracing of firearms to determine the point of origin, and point of sale, he said.
He said this, along with the sharing of information between Jamaica and the countries and the extradition treaty, has netted good results for the different countries and it should be encouraged and broadened where possible.
"We therefore think that the relationship should be encouraged and should be expanded where necessary," he said.
