Two members of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Immigration Department are now better able to detect fraudulent international travel documents.{{more}}

Grafton Gumbs and Vonell Small recently participated in a Diplomatic Security Anti-Terrorism Assistance Training program in Fraudulent Document Recognition in St. Kitts. The course was facilitated by the Regional Security Office of the United States Embassy to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.

Twenty-one other immigration and law enforcement officials from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Montserrat and St Kitts participated in the four-day training workshop which introduced them to the tools and techniques required for properly examining international travel documents and detecting fraudulent ones.

The participants were also taught how to quickly recognize the tell-tale signs of potentially altered, counterfeit or other fraudulent travel documents.

In her address to the course participants, United States Ambassador Mary Ourisman noted that the course reflected the continuing commitment of the United States to provide training on a regional basis for law enforcement personnel from the Caribbean.

She added that the training the participants received was another example “of our extraordinarily deep and positive security relationship with our Caribbean partners – a relationship that includes regional initiatives such as the Advanced Passenger Information System as well as regional and bilateral security assistance in each of your countries.”

Ambassador Ourisman noted that when training, equipment, and other programs which the United States makes available to this region were taken into account, it clearly demonstrated that the U.S. “remains deeply committed to security sector assistance to the Caribbean region”.

Ambassador Ourisman presented certificates and her personal commemorative coin to all the successful participants. In addition, they were also presented with ultra-violet lights, magnifying tools and mini flash lights.