The Caribbean’s borders are open to crime. Its people are paying the price

Dear Sir,

The Caribbean is built on shared history, family connections, trade and the movement of people between neighbouring islands. Yet the same connections that bring our region together are increasingly being exploited by organised criminal networks. Illegal firearms cross borders, criminal groups expand their reach, and ordinary citizens are left to pay the price.

For families who have lost loved ones to gun violence, this is not simply a security issue. It is deeply personal. It is a parent burying a child, a child growing up without a mother or father, and communities where people are increasingly afraid of their own neighbourhoods.

Caribbean governments must recognise that organised crime is no longer confined by national boundaries. Criminal networks operate across territories, while regional responses have struggled to keep pace.

A firearm entering one Caribbean country can travel through several jurisdictions before ending up in the hands of someone prepared to use it. By then, opportunities to intercept it may have been missed. This is why illegal firearms trafficking cannot be treated as an isolated domestic problem.

The scale of the crisis is reflected in a December 2025 regional report produced by CARICOM IMPACS, the Caribbean Public Health Agency, the University of the West Indies and the Small Arms Survey. It estimated that firearms were involved in 86 per cent of homicides reported by CARICOM member and associate states during 2023 and 2024.

Behind that figure are grieving families, frightened communities and lives permanently changed by violence. These are not merely statistics. They represent the human cost of a regional security problem that demands urgent attention.

The response must go beyond increasing police patrols or announcing additional security measures. Governments must target the networks, suppliers, trafficking routes and financial interests that keep illegal weapons moving.

International cooperation is equally important. The United States has a significant role to play, particularly in addressing the movement of American-origin firearms into Caribbean criminal markets. Cooperation must include stronger firearm tracing, intelligence sharing and investigations into illegal suppliers. Those who profit from trafficking must also face accountability, not simply the individuals caught carrying the weapons.

CARICOM must ensure that regional cooperation produces practical results. Strengthening border controls in one country means little if neighbouring territories remain vulnerable to the same trafficking networks. Criminals will simply adapt and exploit the gaps.

Governments must invest in more effective intelligence sharing, coordinated cross-border investigations, maritime surveillance and the capacity of regional security institutions. These efforts must be consistent, properly resourced and supported by measurable results.

But security is about more than firearms and border controls. Rising violence affects businesses, discourages investment, places pressure on healthcare services and threatens the confidence of citizens and visitors. For tourism-dependent economies, the consequences can reach far beyond the communities directly affected.

Most importantly, people deserve to live without fear. They want to raise their children, operate their businesses and enjoy their neighbourhoods without wondering whether another shooting will claim an innocent life.

Governments should therefore be judged not simply by the number of arrests or firearms seized, but by whether trafficking networks are being dismantled, fewer illegal weapons are reaching criminal hands, and communities are becoming safer. The public also deserves transparency about the progress and effectiveness of regional security commitments.

The Caribbean does not need another collection of declarations expressing concern. Its people need meaningful action.

Our countries may be small individually, but together they have the diplomatic influence, regional institutions and international partnerships to confront this threat. What is needed is the political will to turn cooperation into results.

Ultimately, the security of one Caribbean nation cannot be separated from the security of its neighbours. A firearm entering one territory can destroy a family in another. A criminal network operating in one jurisdiction can threaten the stability of several.

Our governments must understand that this is a shared responsibility.

Criminals have learned that Caribbean borders can be crossed. It is time our leaders demonstrated that cooperation can cross them too. Because while governments debate, ordinary families continue to bury their loved ones.

Tony Mark Ramjewan 

Trinidad and Tobago