ICITAP Shares Experience of Mitigating COVID-19 Pandemic with Caribbean Partners

On May 11, ICITAP delivered a presentation titled “Delivering Law Enforcement Assistance to Partner Nations During the COVID-19 Pandemic” at the 35^th Annual Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP) conference to approximately 100 participants from across the Caribbean region. ICITAP discussed the agency’s journey from March 2020 to the present in its efforts to proactively and strategically mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic and successfully deliver technical assistance, training, and mentoring to nearly 60 nations with the support and leadership of 415 men and women across the globe. ICITAP and ACCP share a long and successful history together, as ICITAP played a key role in supporting the establishment of the regional police association at ACCP’s inaugural Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Saint Lucia in August 1987. The commissioners in attendance at that AGM requested that ICITAP provide training in criminal investigations, firearms identification, and other police skills. In March 2020, ICITAP established its Virtual Engagement Task Force (VETF), which is an interagency and international network of like-minded agencies, which are working to leverage technology to deliver training and mentoring. ICITAP also instituted virtual management plans to ensure regular communication and partnering with key partner nation stakeholders, U.S. embassy officials, and funders. ICITAP has also been engaged in delivering personal protective equipment and adhering to strict COVID-19 protocols around the world. Despite the many good practices in leveraging technology, bringing people closer together from across the planet, delivering content and skills at a fraction of the cost of conventional engagement, it is still not clear where the mid and long-range road will lead us, but ICITAP will be ready.