B.V.I. Monday, April 20 - The Territory will host the 2009 Criminal Justice Conference bringing together delegates from the United Kingdom Caribbean Overseas Territories (UKCOTs) and Bermuda from April 21-23.

The three-day conference will be held at the Long Bay Beach Resort under the theme “Identifying our Organisational Strengths and Weaknesses––What needs to be achieved to sustain and improve”. Comptroller of Customs Mr. Wade Smith will chair the opening ceremony on Tuesday, April 21 at 9:00 a.m. when Governor David Pearey, Premier Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal, OBE, Commissioner of Police Mr. Reynell Frazer and Overseas Territories Police Advisor, Mr. Larry Covington, will deliver remarks.

Delegates will include commissioners of police, comptrollers of customs, chief immigration officers and officials from the British High Commission who will serve as facilitators for discussions on law enforcement matters. The Deputy Director of the Overseas Directorate for all Overseas Territories with responsibility for Law Enforcement, Ms. Helen Nellthorp, will also attend the conference.

During the conference’s plenary sessions, delegates will discuss United Kingdom Forensic Science Service; Money Laundering and Asset Confiscation in the Caribbean Region, Witness Protection–Issues and Challenges—the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force Experience and Investigating Serious Crimes at Sea, among other topics.

The participating countries are Bermuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands and host territory, the Virgin Islands.

The Criminal Justice Conference is held annually to bring together law enforcement professionals from all of the UKOT to share best practices. The conference was last held in the Virgin Islands (UK) in March 2004.