United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean

1. Office for Disarmament Affairs (ODA) / Regional Disarmament Branch (RDB) United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Developmentin Latin America and the Caribbean Strategiesto reduce armedviolence & theproliferation of smallarms William Godnick, Ph.D. UNLIREC Public Security ProgrammeCoordinator Crime Stoppers International Conference Bridgetown, Barbados 1 October 2013

2. Chain of Co-Responsibility

3. Questions for group discussion • Whoisthemostresponsiblefortheeventsthathaveunfolded in theChain of Co-Responsibilty? • Whatactionscouldhavebeentakentopreventthistragedy? • Whatactionsshould be takennowaftersuch a tragedy? • Howcouldanorganizationlike Crime Stoppers engage? • (ten minutes deliberation, 2 minutes eachgroup response)

4. Question? • Whatcountries are represented in theroom? • Doesyour country exportfirearms and ammunition? • http://balder.prio.no:8080/Query_SQL.aspx

5. What we have learned as the UN in LAC region • Firearmsownershipmay be a securitysolutionfor a selectfewhighlytrained and/orluckyindividuals, butisnot a soundpublicpolicysolution. More people are killed and injuredtryingtodefendthemselveswithweaponsthansuccessfullyrepelassailants. • Whileillegalfirearms are themainproblem, legal weapons are alsoused in acts of armedviolence, both legal and illegal, legitimate and not. Legallypurchasedammunitioniseven more prevalent in crime. • Disarmamentprogrammes and weapons-carryingrestrictions can have a positive impactoncitizenseucrity at thecommunitylevel, in particular whencoordinatedwithothercitizensecurityinitiativessuch as communitypolicing. • Itispossibleto reduce armedviolencenationally and locally, butthisrequiresyears of work, trial and error and thearticulation of smallarms control, armedviolencereductionwithothercitizensecurity, governance and economicdevelopmentframeworks. • It can be constructivetofocusonthe ‘problematicweapon’sinstead of the ‘corrupt and abusive’ police and the ‘unrulyviolent’ youth.

6. We need to know in each context…. • Whatkinds of armedviolence in whatdimensions? • Gangviolenceamonggangs? • Gangviolenceagainstothers? • Organizedcrimeagainstrivals? • Organizedcrimeagainst ‘civilian’ targets? • Armedviolenceassociatedwithrobbery? • Domesticviolencewithguns? • Otherforms of situationalviolence(drunksoutsidebars late at night)? • Extrajudicial killings/ ‘social cleansing’? • Disporportional use of force in lawenforcementoperations? • Proportionaland legitimate use of force in lawenforcementoperations? • Mentallyillindividualsactingoutwithguns? • Troubledyouthtakinggunstoschool? • Irresponsible/illegal use bypoliceorprivatesecurityguards off duty? • Straybullets? • Withlegallyregisteredor un-registeredweapons?

7. Where are the guns and ammo coming from? • US, Asia, Europe, South America? • Hiddenin containersonships? • Snuck in onyachts, ferriesorfishingboats? • Stolenfrom legal owners in theirprivateresidences? • Stolenordivertedfromdefenceorpolicearsenals? • Stolenordivertedfromprivatesecuritycompanies? • Bought and/orsoldsecondhandor in pawn shops? • Bought ‘legally’ throughstrawpurchases?

8. Small Arms Control Measures (at national level)

9. Coercive Forcible seizures Vigilante groups (AVOID) Checkpoints/roadblocks Private security companies (Supervise and Regulate) Alcohol prohibition/curfews Urban/village courts and tribunals (AVOID) Community policing Formal Compliance Informal Amnesties Neighborhood watch • Toll free telephone lines Weapons collection & destruction Media/civil society awareness programmes Parental notification Gun-free areas/zones Consent to search Local mediation Education/awareness raising Public/private health interventions Voluntary Armed Violence Reduction Measures (at local level)

10. UNLIREC contributionsviatechnicalassistance Stockpile Management Assistance to Caribbean States • Development and delivery of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for stockpile management (SM); • Training on SOPs by technical experts; • Security equipment provided to each State to secure stockpile facilities; • 119 facilities have been secured; and • Caribbean Regional/National Armory Management Course – AMC (in progress)

11. UNLIREC contributions(2) Firearms, Ammunition and Explosives Destruction • Provision of weapons and ammunition destruction equipment (set of hydraulic shears and Small Arms Ammunition Burning Tank - SAABT); • Development of SOPs for firearms, explosives and ammunition destruction as well as training on SOPs; • 40,000 obsolete, surplus and confiscated firearms destroyed (hydraulic shears, chop saws and melting kiln) 57 tonnes of ammuntion and explosives (tank, OBOD); • 132 officials trained in weapons destruction techniques (in accordance with UN International Small Arms Control Standards - ISACS);

12. UNLIREC contributions(3) • Law Enforcement Training • Five (5) Inter-Institutional Training Courses (10 days) for Combating the Illicit Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition and Explosives (IITC) were conducted at both national (TT, JM, DR, BZ) and regional level (all CARICOM States); and • 264 Caribbean security and justice sector personnel trained in efforts to curb Illicit Firearms Trafficking.

13. UNLIREC contributions(4) • Forensic Ballistics Technical Assistance • Assessment of Government of Belize forensic ballistic capacity; • 25 Belizean officials trained on operational forensic ballistics; and • Development of written forensic ballistics SOPs to Government of Belize.

14. UNLIREC contributions(5) • Legal assistance to reform firearms acts • Policyassistancetodesign inter-agencypublicpoliciestocurbillicitfirearmstrafficking and reduce armedviolence • Small arms control and maritimesecurity

15. Whatnext? • What do Crime Stoppers members think about their role and capacities to address firearms proliferation and armed violence? • How can UNLIREC, UN resident agencies in your country and Crime Stoppers worktogether?

16. Thankyou Foradditionalinformationcontact: godnick@unlirec.org programme@unlirec.org