The work of the local Coast Guard in the success of Dominica’s drug interception efforts in 2012 has received high commendation from the country’s National Security Minister.
Hon. Charles Savarin says Dominica’s Coast Guard Unit was able to collaborate with a number of regional coast guard units to interdict drugs at sea.
“The police with the aid of recently acquired assets from friendly development partners have been increasingly successful in combating drug and small arms trafficking and human smuggling. The increased success of the Coast Guard must receive special mention,” Minister Savarin said.
The Minister said mention must be made of the assistance received from officers from other police departments on land.
He said, “In that regard they are supported on land by the Drug Squad, the Task Force, by the Special Services Unit and..the Criminal Investigation Department. In the interdiction efforts the intelligence Unit has a particularly important role to play because the police activity has to be intelligence-driven. One needs to have what is referred to as ‘probable cause’ which can direct the action that the police will take.”
The Minister boasts of the impressive collaboration with the Dominica Coast Guard and other overseas partners.
“Certainly the partners with whom we cooperate and collaborate, the French next door, the Americans who also have certain assets in the Caribbean, they will tell you that there is an excellent relationship between the Dominica Police Force in general and the Coast Guard in particular in this regional effort to interdict drugs at sea,” he explained.
Last May the Government of Dominica moved forward with plans for expansion and strengthening of the Coast Guard facilities here.
A ground-breaking ceremony was held on a 1.77 acre site at Bell Hall for the construction of a Coast Guard Base for the north of the island. The new Coast Guard Base which will complement the Fond Cole Guard will be financed by a US $1.7 million grant.