Suriname President Ronald Venetiaan has cautioned Caricom security ministers not to underestimate the threat of armed gangs to the Caribbean Community’s stability.

Ronald Venetiaan

According to a press release Venetiaan made this statement in his feature address at the Opening Ceremony of the Council of Ministers responsible for National Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE) hosted in Suriname on Thursday. He said “armed gangs posed a serious threat to democracy, governance and national stability and consequently to the Community.” The Suriname leader underscored the extent of the problem by noting that a recent study conducted by the Caricom Commission on Youth Development had revealed that several youth, in expressing their dreams and aspirations for the future, aspired only “to live to see their 25th birth date.”

Despite the progress made by CONSLE in tackling the regional crime situation, “much more was needed to be done” Venetiaan asserted, and impressed  upon CONSLE the need to find effective measures to arrest the security challenges in the light of the reality of the experiences of Caribbean youth. In this regard, he hoped that this reality would spur CONSLE to give new meaning to the urgency of developing the regional crime prevention strategy.

The Suriname president also stressed the need for commitment to the process of cooperation and collaboration to ensuring that mandates and priorities outlined by the Conference of Heads of Government are realized. “We have a serious job to do, “he said, adding “but I am confident that we have the potential to get the job done.”

According to the release Suriname presented a 14-minute documentary at the Opening Ceremony which highlighted measures used by that country to crack down on drug trafficking. The documentary indicated that much progress was made in Suriname through international cooperation and the enactment of stringent legislation.