Senior police leaders from across the Caribbean opened a week‑long summit on Monday with a unified pledge to tackle two pressing challenges: the rising psychological toll on frontline officers and the misuse of crime as a political tactic.
Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali, addressing the 39th Annual General Meeting of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP), urged all regional parties to “treat public safety as a duty, not a campaign platform.” Criminal networks, he warned, “undermine trust and push democracies to their breaking point.” To bolster evidence‑based policing, Ali announced plans for a regional forensic laboratory in Georgetown and pledged training slots in India and at Guyana’s National Defence Institute for Caribbean officers.
Outgoing ACCP President and Antigua & Barbuda Police Commissioner Atlee Rodney turned the spotlight inward, calling officer mental wellness “the hidden pandemic.” Long hours, high‑risk operations, and social pressure, he said, have left many officers “over‑extended and under‑supported.” Rodney urged commissioners to embed professional counselling and peer‑support programmes across their forces, arguing that healthier officers translate into safer communities.
The five‑day conference will focus on cross‑border intelligence sharing, technology upgrades, and scalable strategies to combat organised crime. Commissioners plan workshops on digital forensics, firearms trafficking, and community trust‑building, while a dedicated panel will map out a region‑wide mental‑health framework.
As Commissioner Rodney put it, “Our mandate is clear: learn, collaborate, deliver results. The people of the Caribbean expect nothing less.”
