Bermuda will be represented at a special Caricom summit on national security this weekend in Trinidad, by Labour, Home Affairs and Housing Minister David Burch.

According to an article in Trinidad Newsday, Caricom leaders will meet at the Hilton Trinidad to discus crime and regional security. It is the first time Sen. Burch will be representing Bermuda at the forum.

It is Caricom's fifth Meeting of the Council of Ministers responsible for National Security and Law Enforcement.

The council will discuss issues of policing, crime prevention and other matters related to ensuring law and good order in their respective jurisdictions.

Sen. Burch will be joined by national security Ministers from countries such as Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, Haiti, Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago.

Before leaving the Island, Sen. Burch described the visit as "very timely", as it will afford him an opportunity to update his Ministerial counterparts on the strides being made in Bermuda to ensure the Island has the necessary manpower and support to maintain the safety and security of residents.

He noted: "Just recently, the Bermuda Police Service announced that it has selected just over 100 candidates from the Caribbean to begin the detailed process of joining the Bermuda Police Service to assist in our manpower shortfall.

"This is something that this Government has been pursuing for several months and we are delighted that it has come to fruition.

"The recruitment drive for Police manpower is not unique to Bermuda and this will be a prime opportunity for the Ministers of the region to come together and discuss our common challenges as well as find ways to resolve these challenges."

Trinidad Newsday also said Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Patrick Manning, who is lead Caricom PM for security, announced the staging of this summit in Port-of-Spain following the last regular Caricom Heads of Government summit in the Bahamas last month.

Mr. Manning is expected to discuss a proposal for a special Caricom police unit, as well as the southern Caribbean security initiative, criminal deportees who are sent back to the region from the US, and the effects of the international drug and arms trades in the Caribbean.

Mr. Manning has identified the latter two issues as the reason why the Trinidadian government has acquired a 360 coastal radar system and is in the process of acquiring additional national security assets.