INTRODUCTION: A SECURE COMMUNITY 1. Security is the single most important responsibility of the State. Peace and prosperity, freedom and liberty all depend on security. Security is therefore a core developmental goal. It also provides the foundation for other developmental goals. Investment, trade, economic development and growth depend on the protection of life and property. The CARICOM Single Market and Economy can only develop and prosper in a secure environment. 2. The Council of Ministers Responsible for National Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE) at its 5th Meeting mandated the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) to develop a Regional Crime and Security Strategy. 3. The goal of the CARICOM Crime and Security Strategy is to significantly improve citizen security, by creating a safe, just and free Community, while simultaneously improving the economic viability of the Region. 4. The core objectives of the Strategy are to identify and prioritise the common security risks and threats which CARICOM is facing now and likely to face in the near future, and to identify the courses of action needed to prevent and confront these challenges. The primary focus is on threats that are likely to require a regional approach, such as transnational crime, as they are beyond the capacity of any one state to address alone. 5. The Strategy is the authoritative reference source for CARICOM’s crime and security agenda which guides the Community’s approach to crime and security. The CCSS is also an important tool to: • Provide policy and programme guidance to national, regional and international agencies in their internal and external processes; • Provide guidance for the development of other national and regional crime and security plans; • Inform relevant stakeholders about CARICOM’s security agenda and intent; • Provide a framework for collaboration for states, cooperating and supporting nations, agencies and NGOs on regional crime and security issues; and • Identify financial needs and justify resources from international donor partners. 6. Events over the last decade - from the commissioning of the Regional Task Force on Crime and Security, the establishment of a Management Framework for crime and security, to security being declared the Fourth Pillar of CARICOM - have demonstrated a progressive posture towards fostering unprecedented cooperation within regional security. These milestones and improvements in the management of CARICOM’s crime and security agenda have brought greater focus, responsiveness, integration and functional cooperation to the 9