NASSAU, BAHAMAS — With more than £600 million worth of narcotics seized over the last two years in the Caribbean, UK Regional Defence Attache Lieutenant Simon Wesley said the UK’s permanent assets in the region will continue to focus on counter-narcotics trafficking and other transnational crimes in addition to its disaster support functions.
Speaking to Eyewitness News, Wesley indicated that The Bahamas benefits from the UK’s patrol vessel, the HMS Medway, and its permanent positioning in the region, as it works with regional and US counterparts on joint defense and security matters to strategize and combat transnational crime in addition to providing disaster support.
“There is no escaping the fact that is a threat to all of us and the UK, the Royal Navy, has had significant success last year and the year before in interdicting narcotics,” he said.
“I think there were five interdictions towards the end of last year to the value of £200 million.
“And I think eight interdictions the year before to the value of some £400 million if those drugs had reached the streets of the UK.
“That’s really important, really important because I think that illicit trafficking is fueling so much of the criminal activity that we are seeing across the region and that is of concern to all of us — whether you are a country in the region or an ally, partner as we are to all of our partners in the region.”
Wesley’s portfolio involves partnering with defense and security agencies in the region that face the threats of narcotics and human trafficking, among other transnational crimes.
“We combat these threats from one day to the next to help build resilience, to build capabilities; to build that in a way that is sustainable but to focus on those areas that our partners feel they need support on,” Wesley continued.
“It would be wrong of me to come to the region and say you must do one thing or another. It’s about a continued dialogue with our partners about the threats that exist, the capabilities that are required to combat those threats, and then what support is desired from the UK.
“And so, myself as the defense attaché, I work with my partners to design support that best meets their requirements.”
In December, a Royal Bahamas Defence Force cadet commissioned from the Royal Brittany Naval College in Dartmouth successfully completed training and returned to the RBDF as a commissioned officer trained by the Royal Navy.
Another officer will undergo the same process next year.
The Bahamas has been invited to participate in a strategic leadership program in Barbados within the next month as part of a series of programs in the region to benefit from the experience UK defense can provide.
