–?? ?Guyana to get riverain patrol boatsGuyana is slated to receive riverain patrol boats and related equipment next year through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI).This was disclosed at the second meeting of the CBSI Commission, which is being held at the InternationalCo-chair of the CBSI Commission, Astona Browne, addressing yesterday’s forum.Convention Centre at Pattensen.During the meeting, Julissa Reynoso, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Central America and the Caribbean, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, United States Department of State, announced to security officials and international development partners that the 2012 budget of US$ 77million would be used to support greater coordination and control of border and maritime routes, training and capacity building for law enforcement and justice sector, even while continuing previous efforts in education and workforce development for vulnerable youth and at-risk populations.Reynoso announced that in the next few months, her country would be delivering to the Eastern Caribbean, high-speed interdiction boats and relevant equipment as part of the US Secure Seas Effort. Those boats would complement ones provided to the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica as part of a broader regional maritime security program.“We are proud of the accomplishments of the past year under the CBSI,” she said. “We have encountered many challenges but we believe that the CBSI provides a useful and necessary framework for coordination and collaboration with our partners in the Region.”The CBSI is a shared regional security partnership between CARICOM Member States, the Dominican Republic and the United States.The CBSI Commission meeting will conclude today and already the partners have identified three core objectives to deal with the development threats facing the Caribbean.These are to (1) reduce illicit trafficking through programs ranging from counter narcotics to reducing the flow of illegal arms/light weapons; (2) advance public safety and security through programs ranging from reducing crime and violence to improving border security; and (3) promote social justice through programs designed to promote justice sector reform, combat government corruption, and assist vulnerable populations at risk of recruitment into criminal organizations.According to a statement from the CARICOM Secretariat, Reynoso was of the firm opinion that the partnership to date had spawned measurable results in the three priority areas.In the area of law enforcement information sharing,Wholesale China Jerseys, she reported on surveys of fingerprint processes, equipment, recordkeeping and training in six Member States,Wholesale Jerseys, and that automated fingerprint identification system equipment were now being purchased for those six Member States.In the area of justice reform, she explained that the CBSI had agreed to dedicate a regional legal advisor to develop a task force to address critical crime issues including homicides and to advise on legal reforms.In addition, the US and the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) were working through the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) to screen passengers into Caribbean ports of entry.Training on integration of information into national databases, regional border interdiction exercises and border enforcement training for fifty CARICOM customs, immigration and police officers were also planned for the coming months.Julissa Reynoso, Deputy Asst. Secretary for CAC BureauIn the area of promoting social justice, Ms Reynoso stated that the partnership was supporting education and youth workforce development including youth entrepreneurship.The US is also working with its CBSI partners to promote effective prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of financial crimes, including money laundering, terrorism financing and public corruption. Preliminary assessments have been conducted in Trinidad and Guyana, with technical financial crimes assistance and training slated to begin next month.Amidst concerns that the CBSI partnership had not made the impact that it should have, Ms Reynoso noted that in its first year there might have been challenges but in the coming year, things would be better.Guyana’s Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee, in his feature address, said that he was pleased with the work that has begun in putting programmes in place to address the region’s most challenging security issues.However, he stressed that more needs to be done to enable the region’s people to benefit further.“We need to energise the process in order to begin delivering for the benefit of the people whose governments are part and parcel of this partnership.He said that the region is very fortunate to have the United States of America as a partner in regional security matters that are of inte