Press Release
Bridgetown, Barbados, Thursday, October 22, 2009 – Local lawmen are now better equipped to fight cyber crime and their surveillance detection capabilities have been boosted significantly.
On Wednesday October 21, 2009, Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, D. Brent Hardt presented the Royal Barbados Police Force with equipment worth BDS$ 60 000 to assist in those two areas.
During the presentation which took place at the Embassy, Wildey Business Park, Wildey, St. Michael, Chargé Hardt noted that the presentation was primarily aimed at strengthening Barbados’ capability to conduct investigations of cyber crimes and to use cyber technology to assist with a broad range of investigations.
He said the donation resulted from discussions between Barbados and other Eastern Caribbean countries with the Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security about the growing need in the region for expanded capabilities to conduct cyber investigations. “The United States was pleased to be able to respond to this requirement by offering a seminar for Digital Investigations and Security and subsequent assessments of the region’s technological infrastructure and capabilities,” he added.
The senor U.S. envoy said that assessment led to a three part cyber training program offered to Police officers from Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis and Montserrat. He added that the United States then supported the establishment of a Regional Cyber Investigations Lab in Antigua, which was opened in September. This lab can now investigate digital evidence from countries throughout the region.
“The United States is pleased that Barbados has played such an active role in the establishment of this facility and in building its cadre of officers trained in cyber investigations. We look forward to working with the Royal Barbados Police Force and the Government of Barbados to continue to strengthen these capabilities,” Chargé Hardt added.
Assistant Commissioner Oral Williams who received the equipment on behalf of the police force said cyber crime was one of the challenges facing the police force here and throughout the region.
He thanked the United States Government for the donation adding that he was “sure it would go a long way in assisting us in carrying out our law enforcement duties in Barbados and the wider Caribbean”.
Some of the equipment donated included Mobile Forensic Response Equipment packages, laptop computers, digital cameras, video cameras, printers, cell phones, binoculars and other equipment.