Caribbean Regional Drug Law Enforcement Training Centre

The need for improved anti-narcotic law enforcement training within the Caribbean was first aired at a Ministerial Meeting convened in Jamaica in 1989, and again in 1990 at a Regional Heads of National Law Enforcement Agencies (HONLEA) Meeting, when a resolution was passed calling for the establishment of a regional anti-narcotic law enforcement training centre.  The idea of locating such a centre in Jamaica was first mooted by the Jamaican Delegation to the 34th Session of the Commission on Narcotics Drugs (CND), held in Vienna in May 1991.   The creation of such a regional drug training centre was     unanimously supported by Caribbean political leaders at the CARICOM Heads of Government Conference in St. Kitts in July 1991 and again at the 15th Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community in Bridgetown, Barbados, July 4-7, 1994.�
In May 1995, the Government of Jamaica and the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) signed a project for the establishment of a new Caribbean Regional Drug Law Enforcement Training Centre (REDTRAC) that will serve the drug control needs of the different drug control agencies in the eighteen (18) English Speaking Caribbean Countries and ultimately, other Caribbean Countries as well.

REDTRAC was constructed in 1996 on 350 acres of land on the Police Training Complex in Twickenham Park, Spanish Town, St. Catherine, 19.2 Kilometres outside of Kingston from funds donated by the Government of the USA through the United Nations Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) and the Jamaican government.  The centre comprises one two-storey building consisting of 15,000 sq. ft. with living accommodation for twenty-seven (27) participants and two classrooms accommodating sixty (60) students.

The main focus of the Centre’s activities rest on the strengthening of the capabilities of the Police, Customs, Port Security, Defence Force, Judiciary, Prosecutors and other drug control bodies, but courses for other disciplines such as health, social welfare and education are also foreseen…