…Inter-agency cooperation a work in progress – UK Advisor
The Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) had previously been cited for not implementing a number of recommendations made by a special security advisor brought from the United Kingdom. Among those recommendations were the institution of cash sniffer dogs at ports of entry.
SOCU Advisor Sam Sittlington
Providing an update on the progress SOCU has made since his return early this year, UK-based advisor Sam Sittlington revealed that these specialist dogs are being sourced from the United States and Canada… though they will have to be trained and acclimatised locally.
“Regarding the cash dogs, this is in process,” Sittlington explained. “And I’ve spoken to them, and they have a good arrangement for bringing dogs here to be utilised at the airports. That’s very important. Things are just taking their time, but I’m gradually seeing improvements.”
Sittlington acknowledged that while dogs here could be used, they are not trained specifically to sniff out cash. He cautioned that, because of the need to train these cash dogs, it would take time to get the programme up and running.
“There are dogs being trained in Canada and the US. They have to be brought here and be trained specifically on certain cash, and that takes about three to five months. They have to be introduced to their trainers, and the process of working together has to take place before they can actually be utilised,” Sittlington explained.
Interagency cooperation
Coordination between different agencies in the anti-money laundering fight is a sore point, especially with the release of a recent United States report that has turned the spotlight on inter-agency fractions.
The US International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), volume two of March 2018, declared there was a lack of strong interagency cooperation among AML and drug-fighting agencies, adding that these departments did not have adequate human resources and the necessary training for complete effectiveness.
It was outlined that Guyana should continue to provide training to “increase awareness and understanding of AML laws within the Judiciary and agencies. The major agencies involved in anti-drug and money laundering efforts, such as the Guyana Police Force (GPF); the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA); the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU); the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), were observed as not being effective enough, owing to “inadequate human resources, insufficient training, and a lack of strong interagency cooperation”.
That report had also listed Guyana among many other countries as “major money laundering jurisdictions in 2017”. But according to Sittlington, inter-agency cooperation is an ongoing process.
“We have regular inter-agency meetings. That’s an ongoing process. Everyone knows the protocols, everyone knows the importance of collaboration; and that is happening. I can say categorically it is happening, and it’s improving,” the specialist advisor said.
