00:00On Monday, Trinidad and Tobago became the first nation in the Shield of the Americas
00:04coalition to join the United States in designating 25 criminal organizations as foreign terrorist
00:10organizations. Criminologist Akini Harry, speaking with TV6, says greater cooperation with the United
00:16States could provide this nation with improved access to intelligence, technology, training,
00:23and regional security networks. He said these resources could be particularly useful in
00:28addressing transnational criminal activity involving drugs, firearms, money laundering,
00:34and organized crime. Quote, given our geographic position and the regional nature of these criminal
00:41networks, greater intelligence sharing and coordinated enforcement can be beneficial. End quote.
00:48However, Harry cautioned against treating the organized criminal groups and terrorist organizations
00:53as interchangeable. Harry said any classification that expanded the powers available to law and
00:58enforcement should be accompanied by a clear explanation of how those powers would operate
01:04within Trinidad and Tobago's legal system. He said the government therefore needed to explain
01:09the domestic legal consequences of this nation's participation. Harry also pointed to the wider
01:15strategic interests of the United States, saying those interests would not necessarily be identical
01:21to those of Trinidad and Tobago. Quote, the United States clearly has its own interests in disrupting drug
01:27trafficking networks, protecting its borders, and strengthening its security influence across the
01:32Western Hemisphere. End quote. Harry cautioned that those interests can overlap with Trinidad and Tobago's
01:39interests, but they are not necessarily identical. Alexander Bruiswall, TV6 News.
01:44You
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