United Kingdom promises £10m to support law enforcement in the Overseas Territories

Ten million pounds have been allocated to support Law Enforcement in Montserrat and other British Overseas Territories.

At the end of the Joint Ministerial Council in London this week, the UK and Overseas Territories noted the shared responsibility for ensuring the protection of citizens across the Territories through the work of multiple agencies within and across jurisdictions.

The Overseas Territories welcomed the ongoing work by the UK Government through the UK Integrated Security Fund (formerly Conflict, Stability and Security Fund), Justice and Border Security Programmes to help strengthen and modernise law enforcement and border control capabilities.

Both sides recognised the importance of taking a holistic approach to crime prevention and border security, and the UK Government said it was committing over 10 million pounds to support Overseas Territories law enforcement and border security capability and capacity building.

Both the UK and Overseas Territories said they recognized that security challenges are often complex and reaffirm the joint commitment to build upon multi-agency models to enhance co-operation and increase effectiveness within the Territories.

They therefore commit to sharing experiences, challenges and lessons learned by upholding their close partnership on areas of security and law enforcement.

Meanwhile the UK undertook to collaborate with affected Territories to strengthen their security and law enforcement regimes.