Colonel Trevor MacMillan, the national security minister, must know that his explanation for Jamaica's cock-up in ordering ammunition for the police force is, at best, flaccid.

Nor do we accept as glorious, the minister's declared inability to speak immediately to the issue because it demands investigation and didn't happen on his watch. That sounds very much like attempting exculpation or that Colonel MacMillan has not brought himself up to speed on the issues in his portfolio.

That Jamaica used a blacklisted arms dealer to broker the purchase of ammunition from the United States is, after all, a significant issue. We would hardly have expected that the minister would require a newspaper revelation to begin his own investigation and to ensure it doesn't happen again.

Should not have happened

It shouldn't have happened in the first place; not if the officials in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the national security ministry were doing a reasonably effective job.

As was reported by The Sunday Gleaner, in March of this year, America's Federal Bureau of Investigations intercepted an air express package from the Jamaican police to a Lauderhill, Florida- based arms dealer, Lance Brooks, relating to an order for 250,000 rounds of ammunition for the JCF. Brooks runs an outfit called Taylor and Associates.

Now, Brooks was brokering Jamaica's purchase without having first acquired a licence from the Directorate of Defence Trade Control (DDTC) at the US State Department. It wasn't the first time he was being accused of such an offence. Last December, he pleaded guilty to exporting defence services to the United Arab Emirates without the requisite licence.

The indictment was no secret affair. Clearly, neither the police nor the security ministry could have conducted much of a due diligence to have been caught in such a mess. And Colonel MacMillan's argument about the difficulty of the Jamaica's "perceived human-rights problems" making it difficult to purchase arms and ammunition is embarrassingly spurious. That is precisely the reason why we need to take care to follow the rules and be shown to be accountable.

Licensing regime

That is not particularly difficult if you pay attention. It is simple logic to assume that the JCF and the national security ministry would be acquainted with US policy for exporting arms and that they would be acquainted with its licensing regime and the requirements of its International Traffic in Arms Regulations. These are available in hard copy from the US Government Printing Office or as e-documents. The DDTC also maintains on its website a list of statutorily and administratively barred arms traders and importers.

In the event, this is so important and our position so potentially vulnerable that we should always check the status of arms dealers. It can't be all that difficult for the embassy in Washington to ask.

In the event they need help, here are some contacts:

Frank Ruggiero, deputy assistant secretary for defence and regional security (202-663-2980);

Robert S. Kovoc, managing director, Directorate of Defence Trade Control (202-663-2861);

Kevin Maloney, office director (202-663-2739);

Terry Davis, deputy director (202-663-2798).

By the way, this information, and more, is available on the directorate's website.