Forensic science to help beat sophisticated criminals

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Wednesday January 12, 2011 – National Security Minister Dwight Nelson says the government will intensify its crime fighting measures in 2011, as part of efforts to see a continued reduction in crime and violence. One such measure, he said, will be the dedicated application of forensic science to counter the sophistication of the organised criminal world.

Minister Nelson said the government completely endorses the attempt to enhance law enforcement capabilities with the use of the latest technology in forensic science to fight criminal activity.

“The (government) continues to drive and provide a policy framework that seeks to enhance the abilities of the law enforcement agencies, the police force and the Jamaica Defence Force, to minimise criminal activities within and along our borders,” he said.

"I want to assure you that the training and awareness of forensic science, being accorded our professionals through projects, such as this conference, can only redound to the benefit of the government's efforts to break the back of crime and violence.”

The National Security Minister made the comments at the opening of the University of Technology (UTech) International Forensic Science Conference this week.

UTech President Professor Errol Morrison, said the conference would bring about useful outcomes that could be applied to the day-to-day fight against crime and violence.

"We intend to have outcomes that can help you (government) to apply to the daily work of your institutions. If that is not what we will achieve, then we would have failed," he said.

The two-day conference is being followed by an additional two days of practical hands on workshops on the University's Papine campus. Workshop participants will get exposure to 'Ballistics', 'use of DNA and other Biological Evidence', 'Techniques in Human Identification', and 'recovery of latent finger marks from fire scenes'.

The conference is part of the European Union/Edulink Programme-sponsored project, and is hosted under the theme: ‘Developing Education, Skills and Capacity in Forensic awareness in the Southern African Development Community and the Caribbean'.

UTech is one of three universities participating in the project. The others are: Staffordshire University, United Kingdom and the University of Mauritius. Staffordshire University, which leads the project, is recognised as an international centre of excellence in Forensic Science.

One of the main objectives of the Forensic capacity-building project is to develop the University of Mauritius and the UTech as Centres of Excellence in forensic education and training for their respective regions.

Local participants at the conference were drawn from the police, the army, the judiciary, the Bar Association, Office of Director of Public Prosecutions and the academic institutions.

Standardized training for regional police

BASSETERRE, St Kitts, Wednesday January 12, 2011 – St Kitts and Nevis’ Minister of National Security and Deputy Prime Minister Sam Condor, has presented to Cabinet an initiative for the standardization and improvement in the training of police officers – not only in his country, but the sub-region – and the establishment of a Law Enforcement Institute headquartered in the twin-island federation.

Condor this week invited a team from the Regional Security System (RSS) to Cabinet to make a presentation on the standardization and improvement of the training of police officers. The RSS, which provides for the planning and execution of exercises and training with assistance from time to time from the USA and the UK authorities, gave an overview of its assessment of the training programmes for police within member countries.

“The conclusion was that there was generally a lack of proper standards, facilities and programmes in all member countries – St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Grenada, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” stated a post-Cabinet briefing.

It documented the pledge of St. Kitts and Nevis to play a lead role, therefore, in creating an RSS Law Enforcement Institute to help develop and promulgate effective standards, programmes and facilities for the training of law enforcement officers.

“Under the proposed arrangement, training of lower level officers will take place in-country but will be standardized across the region. Training for higher level officers will be centralized or regionalized and is likely to be headquartered in St. Kitts and Nevis at the planned new training facility for the police,” the statement said.

The new training programme is projected to result in the improved training and performance of police officers, an increase in public confidence in law enforcement, a greater sense of shared responsibility among all stakeholders and a greater sense of ownership by members of the force.

The RSS team will make a similar presentation to other Cabinets in the region.

Has Lorne sounded Tucker's “death knell” in Choiseul politics?

REUNION, Choiseul, PH - Residents of Reunion geared up for a big occasion when they witnessed the District Rep, Rufus Bousquet (aka Bruce Tucker) leading an impressive entourage into the Choiseul Primary School on Wednesday Jan 12. The entourage comprised a Press Crew, a couple of UWP dignitaries and a campaign crew including his “Choiseul on the Move” blog master.

But the entourage had hardly arrived when the expectations of the curious onlookers sank into a sulky disappointment because the size of the entourage had nothing to do with the value of the New Year presentation that Tucker made to the school. The occasion was to present just one (1)! ONE SINGLE LAPTOP to the school.

One of the onlookers told the Powerhouse reporter,“c’est Lorne nous vlay”. Even a couple of the kids after the ceremony were reported to be blissfully humming Lorne’s campaign anthem “Rufus sortee la”. It is now beginning to look that Tucker is Lorne’s biggest campaign asset whipping automatic support for Lorne wherever he goes.

Of course, the parents and kids have good reason for their anti-Tucker sentiments. Now that the constituents know it, they are openly asking: What are we doing with a criminal with multiple convictions as our parliamentary representative? Moreover, there are reports of some dangerous signs associated with the “Tivoli Gardens (Jamaica) type politics” rearing their ugly heads among the youth in Piaye and the Gulf (Mongouge) for the sake of winning votes. More on that trend in a subsequent article.

It is evident that the district rep – since after the political earthquake by Lorne - continues to lose his bearings and sinks deeper and deeper into the politics of despair. In spite of his excessive waxing designed to camouflage his true persona, the axis on which he rotates is irretrievably skewed. He reminds me of the Greek “Tantalus” lost in the political quicksand of Choiseul/Saltibus desperately grabbing for support that is non-existent.

Has Lorne sounded his “death knell” in Choiseul politics? And is that the reason for the desperation politics?

SLP questions Attorney General’s statement on CARICOM Airways

CASTRIES, St Lucia, CMC – The main opposition St. Lucia Labour Party (SLP) has accused Attorney General, Rudolph Francis, of misleading the region when he said recently that the aviation dispute involving the Suriname-owned St. Lucian-registered CARICOM Airways dispute has been resolved. Tourism Minister Allan Chastanet had threatened to ground two Vincentian carriers operating here unless authorities in St. Vincent and the Grenadines allowed the St. Lucia based carrier to land there under a reciprocal CARICOM arrangement.

However, in a recent ruling the ECCAA announced that CARICOM Airways was operating illegally, and has ordered the carrier to immediately discontinue its operations within the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

Francis, who accompanied Chastanet to Antigua and Barbuda for talks on the issue last week, while not providing details of the agreement, indicated that the ECCAA has acted hastily in calling for the grounding of CARICOM Airways.

But SLP Leader Dr. Kenny Anthony said the statement by Francis was “patently false and misleading”.

Anthony said that Francis had also misled the region when he said the ECCAA acted prematurely and the dispute was very successfully resolved.

“No such resolution was ever achieved at the meeting in Antigua,” Anthony said, noting that the ECCAA had advised the St. Lucia delegation “CARICOM Airways, not being the holder of an Air Operator Certificate issued by ECCAA on behalf of the state of St. Lucia cannot be allowed to provide commercial air transportation in the absence of such certification."

Moreover, he said the ECCAA repeated to the delegation what St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has said that the Multilateral Air Services Agreement "cannot remove the need for an Air Operator Certificate”.

Anthony said the ECCA had also sought to persuade Chastanet that he could not use the Civil Aviation Act to temporarily exempt CARICOM Airways from the requirement for the Air Operator Certificate.

“By a letter dated 31st December, 2010, ECCAA advised the Senator Chastanet against such action as it would be contrary to the convention of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Further the Minister was told that "the exemption can have repercussions for Saint Lucia and cannot be recognised internationally," Anthony said.

Attorney General, Director of Finance, PLEASE ACT NOW!

On Friday, January 7, a former Labour MP David Chaytor became the first person to be jailed over the Westminster expenses scandal.

Mr Chaytor was sentenced to 18 months after admitting he forged tenancy documents and invoices to falsely claim more than £22,000 of taxpayers' money for rent and IT work from the Commons authorities.

From all indications, St. Lucia has parallel but deeper problems. But will St. Lucia go the UK way and jail ministers and their accessories in the Ministry of Finance and the town, village and city councils who blatantly violate the laws of St. Lucia?

The latest “Wikileaks-type” news coming out raises damning allegations against a relatively new top government official who is receiving a substantial amount of funds and support via a local government authority. It is alleged that those funds are going towards the construction of his/her home.

We call on the offices of the attorney general – who is the “La Casas” of our laws - to immediately investigate this matter and take the appropriate legal action against the offender.

We also call on the AG and the Director of Finance to investigate state contributions from the Governments of Portugal and Morocco to the people of St. Lucia which are being funneled into the accounts of village councils for funding constituency projects by district reps.

The MP for Choiseul reported on his website that the village council received $850,000 for the construction of a “mini-stadium”. The website also reported that he received US$30,000 for that same purpose.

JAMAICA BEATS LORNE TO IT!

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Friday January 7, 2011 – The northwestern parish of Trelawny is poised to be the site for the construction of Jamaica’s first artisan village.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett said the village will be established on lands which have been donated by the Port Authority of Jamaica, PAJ, and will be adjacent to the new Falmouth Cruise Ship Port.

“The Port Authority of Jamaica has agreed to offer the Ministry of Tourism the land to build the first Artisan village, not only in Falmouth, but indeed in Jamaica. We intend to start the process towards construction soon by meeting with our architects and draftsmen to decide on a design for the facility,” he said.

The establishment of artisan villages in all the resort areas of the country formed part of the initiatives outlined in Minister Bartlett’s 2009/2010 Budget presentation. He stated then that the Villages will allow Craft producers to obtain training in new and changing techniques in the production of items for the tourism and local markets.

Bartlett said that his Ministry, through the Tourism Product Development Company, intends to use the artisan villages to transform the existing craft shopping experience in each of the resort areas.

“The artisan villages will be developed as thematic attractions that will bring important benefits to tourism including the provision of linkages. Each village is expected to encompass several elements of a Jamaican cultural experience: art and craft stalls, traditional cuisine, entertainment, sporting facilities, musical and other cultural offerings,” he said.

The Minister said once in operation, the villages will offer a range of options to visitors and provide products that would be desirable to high-end niche markets as well as those visitors seeking more simple reminders of Jamaica. Similar types of artisan villages can be found in Mexico, Colombia, parts of New Zealand and parts of the United States. "

PS: IT IS NOTEWORTHY THAT THE SLP CANDIDATE FOR CHOISEUL/SALTIBUS HAS A SIMILAR INITIATIVE IN HIS MANIFESTO FOR CHOISEUL VILLAGE - THE BIRTHPLACE OF HIS FATHER, GEORGE THEOPHILUS.

FORTUNATELY AND UNFORTUNATELY, JAMAICA HAS BEAT HIM TO IT! FORTUNATELY, HE CAN MONITOR THE JAMAICA MODEL AND LEARN FROM IT; UNFORTUNATELY, HE CAN'T BE CREDITED FOR THE INNOVATION BECAUSE SOMEONE HAS BEAT HIM TO IT!

Stanford investors rush to sue US government

TEXAS, United States, Thursday January 6, 2011 – Victims of Allen Stanford’s alleged multi-billion dollar fraud are racing against time to sue the United States government in an attempt to get back the money they lost.

Because of the Statute of Limitations of two years, they have just a few days to get their chance to sue the US government for the failure of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to conduct appropriate enforcement in Stanford’s fraud. The suit argues that despite receiving information years ago that Stanford was likely running a Ponzi scheme, the SEC fell down on its duty to investigate and stop the former billionaire.

The investors are being represented by Dr. Gaytri Kachroo, the attorney who last November filed the class action in the case of convicted American Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff.

“Dr. Kachroo indicates that if investors want to participate in an action against the SEC, most likely a class action, they must file claims immediately and no later than February 16, 2011...She strongly advises international investors to contact and file all documentation with Kachroo Legal Services prior to January 15, 2011 in order to timely process their claims,” a statement from the investors said.

The deadline for the filing of the claim comes two year after Stanford was charged, on February 17, 2009, with multiple civil fraud and criminal charges for allegedly running an US$8 billion Ponzi scheme.

He is currently incarcerated at the Federal Detention Center in Houston, Texas and will find out today when he will go on trial.

The start date had been set for January 24, but his lawyers have asked for a two-year delay. Prosecutors agreed to a postponement but said that two years is excessive. A hearing on the matter is therefore scheduled for today.

RECLAIMING CARNIVAL

THE ARTICLE BELOW IS AN EDITORIAL FROM THE TRINIDAD GUARDIAN WHICH SEEM TO HAVE SOME RELEVANCE TO THE WIDER CARIBBEAN

"The decision by the Catholic Church, or at least some of the braver outreach elements of that religious body, to participate in Carnival 2011 has sparked nationwide debate. On the surface of it, the notion of the deeply religious descending into the hedonism of Carnival Monday and Tuesday, seems, at best, to be wrong headed.

That notion, however, sets aside the Catholic roots of the festival itself. Originally carne vale, the farewell to the flesh, the celebration is a key event in the religious calendar of several faiths and is a ceremonial pre-Lenten embrace of the passions and indulgences to be set aside during Lent. The event has come to be expressed in subtly different ways throughout the world, and while Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival is well known for its colour, energy and creativity, it is hardly the only one.

Still, this is the Carnival we have, and it is one that the Catholic Church seems intent on staking a fresh claim on this year. The band, Genesis 1-Creation is hardly some rebellious engagement. The effort has been blessed by Archbishop Edward Gilbert and enjoys the personal attention of Monsignor Jason Gordon, who has long been committed to strengthening the ties between the Catholic Church and the community it serves.

The band is being directly guided by Fr Joe Harris, the priest of Petit Valley’s St Anthony’s Church, who initiated the idea. There have been rich opportunities for humour, some of it cruel, arising from this initiative, but there have also been questions which the band’s leadership will have to answer on the short road from the preliminary announcement last week to the band’s appearance on the road. While the band will have its own Church sanctioned playlist, one that will, undoubtedly emphasise music deemed appropriate to the goals of the project, what will happen when the band encounters roadside speakers blaring music that is wildly inappropriate?

Will the band be competing on the traditional route or will it be a “fun” band, making its own way on the road as well as in concept? Will the band be all-inclusive? The cost of the costumes certainly seems to suggest that it might be, and if so, what will be served? How will ideas like “evangelising the culture” be expressed during the hard practicalities of the road, where the realities of presenting a band on the street has led to the roped or “gated communities” described by Monsignor Gordon? It’s also worth noting that virtually everything that the Catholic Church hopes to set an alternative example to in our local Carnival are developments of fairly recent vintage.

While the idea of artful vulgarity in calypso has been part of the festival’s traditions from its very beginnings, the trimming of once elaborate costumes only began a few decades ago, when the late designer Lil Hart began to produce more youthful costumes for teenage and young adult members of the band.

For years, the shorter skirts and pruned costumes of the Hart’s fun band were viewed as an aberration in Carnival before becoming first the norm and now the standard. The more outrageous dances offered by many of today’s masqueraders as well were the result of a loss of craft in presentation, as the elaborate moves of blue devils, bats and firemen were lost to a new generation of masqueraders and the entire point of portraying a costume was harnessed to the imperatives of commerce.

These new traditions may be new to the long history of Carnival, but they are deeply entrenched and any alternative presented by the Catholic Church must aspire to being more than simply “holier than thou.” The creative traditions of Carnival are rich and remarkable. The presence of Genesis 1-Creation, promoted by Monsignor Gordon as way of returning some of the “true essence” of the festival, should engage some of those dormant creative possibilities as a path back to the heart of the masquerade."

IS TOMAS GONE FOR GOOD?

What we saw of and for Tomas were indeed frightening. What we didn’t see and don’t know (and perhaps will never know) might be even more frightening.

Ever since the passage of the storm, I have been arguing that certain parts of Saltibus and Gertrine are geotechnical disasters which need urgent attention. Unfortunately, I have never seen  any news on TV or radio in that regard. There has been no announcement of the extent of the geotechnical damage and potential ramifications and implications for the area.

Despite their prolific contribution to the agricultural economy and the human resource base of this country, because Gertrine and Saltibus are hinterland communities, they are relegated to as insignificant “country” or “gwan bois” settlements.

The Powerhouse crew took a tour deep into the remote areas of Gertrine to obtain footage on the magnitude of the geotechnical damage which happened during the passage of Tomas. 

Although the community had a close shave with death, thankfully it was spared the worse and there was no reported or known loss of life.

The Future of Christmas Barrels

According to deputy Customs comptroller, Christmas barrels are putting on a significant strain on Customs resources; and come next year the beneficiaries of those barrels may have to procure the services of a customs broker to clear them.

Approximately, I8,000 barrels were received this year.

The procurement of the services of a broker to clear the barrels has cost implications for the beneficiaries and it means that they will to push their hands into their pockets to meet the costs of the brokerage.

If the barrels are primarily for the poor and the vulnerable, then I suggest that Customs may have to carefully look again at the implementation of this measure as it will bring even more hardship bear on many of the unfortunate beneficiaries.

As a temporary measure, I suggest the outsourcing of brokerage of those barrels to one or more reliable brokerage firms to assist in the clearing those barrels with government bearing the costs.

Barrels seem to have become a part of our Christmas tradition and many vulnerable St. Lucians with friends and relatives overseas are beneficiaries. The concession was the brainchild of former Prime Minister, Dr Kenny Anthony.

Antigua, China sign bilateral agreements

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, Monday January 3, 2011 – China and Antigua and Barbuda have signed four bilateral agreements for the construction of a new airport terminal in the twin-island republic and cooperation in a wide range of areas.

The four agreements pave the way for the commencement of a number of projects including the construction of a new terminal building at the V.C. Bird International Airport, for which China will provide US$45 million, and the provision of laptop computers for the government’s “One Laptop per Child” programme.

Under the agreements the two countries will also cooperate on economic and technical issues and strengthen bilateral, scientific and technological cooperation.

The signing took place during the visit of China’s top female politician, State Councilor Madame Liu Yandong.

Madame Yandong and a delegation comprising six Chinese ministers and vice-ministers came to Antigua last Friday for a two-day trip that also coincided with the 28th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Antigua and Barbuda and the People’s Republic of China.

It was the only Caribbean stop in a four-nation tour that also takes her to Chile, Ecuador and Colombia.

Date set for Stanford trial delay hearing

TEXAS, United States, Monday January 3, 2011 – Less than three weeks before Allen Stanford’s fraud trial is scheduled to begin, his lawyers are preparing to tell a judge why the trial date should be put off for at least another two years.

The hearing has been set for Thursday.

Court-appointed defence attorneys Ali Fazel and Richard Scardino have submitted papers in court contending that they will not be ready for the January 24 trial.

They claim that little progress has been made on actual trial preparation and they need more time to properly analyze more than five million documents and dozens of potential witnesses.

The attorneys also allege that for the first nine months of this year, Stanford’s previous lawyer focused on trying to get money from his insurance provider, rather than on building a case for his client.

Stanford, who allegedly cheated investors in the Stanford International Bank in Antigua out of US$7 billion, has been in jail since June 2009.

In addition to seeking a delay in the fraud trial, the attorneys want Stanford to be released on bail so that he can prepare himself properly for the trial.

His doctor has also declared him incompetent to stand trial, a claim that is to be tested by a government psychiatrist.