v. CARICOM will establish a CARICOM registry of forensic experts that can be accessed by all Member States. The Community will take steps to familiarise stakeholders with the full range of available forensic services and address gaps in knowledge; vi. The development of model legislative framework governing the use of forensic evidence in criminal proceedings, in particular implementation of legislation to support the taking and use of DNA samples will be pursued. vii. CARICOM will also work towards establishing model legislation to govern the handling of physical evidence, particular in relation to chain of custody, storage, packing, labelling security of the evidence, and the transfer of evidence; viii. The establishment of National DNA Databases should be supplemented by legislation for the maintenance of forensic databases and provision for the sharing of information held within databases through a centralised automated CARICOM DNA database. ix. A CARICOM DNA Database ought to be pursued and established within a clear framework that protects individual privacy and takes due account of the protection of legitimate personal data; x. The Community will pursue the establishment and implementation of a secure regional criminal database of fingerprints network; CARICOM Automated Fingerprint Integrated System (CAFIS), which maintains individual privacy rights. Fingerprint data can reveal vital connections between people and crimes, and allow the identification of anonymous traces left at crime scenes, which will significantly increase the criminal detection rate; xi. The CAFIS will be complemented by the establishment of regional legal regulatory instruments to facilitate the sharing of automated digital fingerprint information, collection and exploitation in law enforcement investigations and judicial actions; xii. The Region will take all necessary steps to enhance forensic and ballistic capabilities to prevent and solve gun crimes. The marking and tracing of guns are essential steps in mapping the gun problem, identifying routes and modes of illicit gun trafficking and curbing increasing gun violence in the Region. The Regional Integrated Ballistic Information Network (RIBIN), established within the context of the UN PoA, is a proposed ballistic information-sharing mechanism to track guns and ammunition used in crimes and to make this information available to law enforcement, customs and other security agencies. RIBIN will provide support to those CARICOM territories that currently lack the requisite forensic capacity to identify the ballistic ‘fingerprint’ of ammunition used in crimes and to record the ballistic ‘signature’ of the firearm used. This will increase Member States’ capacity to link firearms used by specific gangs and also allow them the capability to trace the connections in the organized trade in illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons and ammunition; 42