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

Office for Disarmament Affairs (ODA) / Regional Disarmament Branch (RDB)

Strategies to reduce armed violence & the proliferation of small arms

William Godnick, Ph.D.UNLIREC Public Security Programme Coordinator

Crime Stoppers International ConferenceBridgetown, Barbados

1 October 2013

Chain of Co-Responsibility

Questions for group discussion1. Who is the most responsible for the events that have

unfolded in the Chain of Co-Responsibilty?

2. What actions could have been taken to prevent this tragedy?

3. What actions should be taken now after such a tragedy?

4. How could an organization like Crime Stoppers engage?

(ten minutes deliberation, 2 minutes each group response)

Question?

• What countries are represented in the room?

• Does your country export firearms and ammunition?

http://balder.prio.no:8080/Query_SQL.aspx

What we have learned as the UN in LAC region1. Firearms ownership may be a security solution for a select few highly trained and/or lucky individuals, but is not a sound public policy solution. More people are killed and injured trying to defend themselves with weapons than successfully repel assailants.

2. While illegal firearms are the main problem, legal weapons are also used in acts of armed violence, both legal and illegal, legitimate and not. Legally purchased ammunition is even more prevalent in crime.

3. Disarmament programmes and weapons-carrying restrictions can have a positive impact on citizen seucrity at the community level, in particular when coordinated with other citizen security initiatives such as community policing.

4. It is possible to reduce armed violence nationally and locally, but this requires years of work, trial and error and the articulation of small arms control, armed violence reduction with other citizen security, governance and economic development frameworks.

5. It can be constructive to focus on the ‘problematic weapon’s instead of the ‘corrupt and abusive’ police and the ‘unruly violent’ youth.

We need to know in each context….What kinds of armed violence in what dimensions? Gang violence among gangs? Gang violence against others? Organized crime against rivals? Organized crime against ‘civilian’ targets? Armed violence associated with robbery? Domestic violence with guns? Other forms of situational violence (drunks outside bars late at night)? Extrajudicial killings/ ‘social cleansing’? Disporportional use of force in law enforcement operations? Proportional and legitimate use of force in law enforcement

operations? Mentally ill individuals acting out with guns? Troubled youth taking guns to school? Irresponsible/illegal use by police or private security guards off duty? Stray bullets? With legally registered or un-registered weapons?

Where are the guns and ammo coming from?

US, Asia, Europe, South America? Hidden in containers on ships? Snuck in on yachts, ferries or fishing boats? Stolen from legal owners in their private residences? Stolen or diverted from defence or police arsenals? Stolen or diverted from private security companies? Bought and/or sold second hand or in pawn shops? Bought ‘legally’ through straw purchases?

Small Arms Control Measures (at national level)

Legal Trade Illicit Trafficking Stocks Unlawful Use and Possession

-Better enforcement of existing laws.

-Harmonizing laws with neighboring countries.

-Marking of firearms and ammunition.

- Transparency in manufacture and transfers (e.g. end-user certificates).

-Improving intelligence and information sharing.

-Building capacity in institutions and their personnel to combat trafficking.

- Supplying specialized equipment and technology.

-Identifying national stocks and surplus.

-Improving stockpile management.

-Voluntary weapons surrender programs.

-Destruction of weapons.

-Adopting a clear legal basis for possession and use of FAME.

-Suppressing the visibility of FAME in society.

-Controlling the marketing of FAME.

Coercive

Voluntary

Education/awareness raising

InformalCompliance

Forcible seizures

Consent to search

Checkpoints/roadblocks

Urban/village courts and tribunals (AVOID)

Formal

Community policing

Alcohol prohibition/curfews

Amnesties

Gun-free areas/zones

Weapons collection & destruction

Local mediation

Media/civil society awareness programmes

Public/private health interventions

Vigilante groups (AVOID)

Neighborhood watchToll free telephone lines

Private security companies (Supervise and Regulate)

Parental notification

Armed Violence Reduction Measures (at local level)

UNLIREC contributions via technical assistanceStockpile 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)

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);

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.

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.

UNLIREC contributions (5)

Legal assistance to reform firearms acts

Policy assistance to design inter-agency public policies to curb illicit firearms trafficking and reduce armed violence

Small arms control and maritime security

What next?

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 work together?

Thank you

For additional information contact:

godnick@unlirec.orgprogramme@unlirec.org