(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) An open-ended Meeting of the Bureau of the CONSLE was held by video-conference on Friday, 14 October 2011, under the Chairmanship of Sen. the Hon. Dr. Errol Cort, Minister of National Security and Labour of Antigua and Barbuda.

Also attending the Meeting were Hon. Tommy Turnquest, Minister of National Security of The Bahamas, and Hon. Guy Mayers, Minister of Home Affairs and National Security of Saint Lucia and delegations from Barbados, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.

The Meeting was advised of the action taken to terminate the services of the Executive Director of the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), Ms. Lynne Anne Williams, pursuant to the decision taken at the Sixteenth Special Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM in New York, held on 22 September 2011. Furthermore, the Meeting was informed that to assure the continued leadership at IMPACS the appointment of Mr. Francis Forbes as Interim Executive Director has been extended for a further period of three months until 31 December 2011.

The Meeting discussed a Report of the Diagnostic Audit of IMPACS undertaken by an independent audit firm and agreed that a further probe be undertaken by the Director of Internal Audit of the CARICOM Secretariat, in relation to some of the issues raised in that Report, as recommended by the audit firm.

The Meeting agreed for the appropriate steps to be taken to respond to the request from the Government of Trinidad and Tobago for a waiver of immunity, which would allow any criminal investigation to be undertaken.

The Terms of Reference for a comprehensive review of the Institutions involved in implementing the Security Agenda within the Community, specifically IMPACS, the Regional Security System (RSS), the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and the Caribbean Safety and Security Oversight System (CASSOS), having been approved by the Heads of Government, the Meeting agreed that the consultancy for the rationalisation and reform of these institutions be pursued forthwith.

The Bureau of the CONSLE reiterated the important role of IMPACS in advancing the security agenda of the Region. The meeting awaits the completion of the body of work to be done in the interest of maintaining the safety and security of the peoples of the Region as a priority.

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