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Ministry of Justice, Police of the Government of Suriname Signs eTrace Agreement

Posted on: Thursday, 21 May 2009, 14:25 CDT

Combating Firearms Trafficking Using Modern Technology

PARAMARIBO, Suriname, May 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will provide eTrace, an electronic system used to trace illicit firearms with the Ministry of Justice and Police of the Government of Suriname. This is an ongoing effort to combat firearms trafficking in the region consistent with the December 2007 joint Caribbean Community (CARICOM)-U.S. Initiative on Combating the Illicit Trafficking in Small Arms and Light Weapons and Ammunition. (For additional information see: http://www.state.gov/p/wha/rls/120209.htm)

The MOU establishes conditions of the partnership between ATF and law enforcement authorities in Suriname regarding policy and procedures for the access and use of eTrace services made available to law enforcement agencies.

eTrace is a paperless firearm trace submission system that is accessible through a secure connection to the World Wide Web. This Internet application provides the necessary utilities for submitting, retrieving, storing and querying firearms trace-related information allowing for the systematic tracing of firearms recovered from crime scenes. Analysis of firearms trace data can assist in the identification of firearms trafficking patterns and geographic profiling for criminal hot spots and possible sources of illicit firearms.

ATF processed more than 300,000 crime-gun trace requests in fiscal year 2008, including traces from 58 countries. The other countries in the region that have eTrace capabilities include the Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, Mexico, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. Several Caribbean police forces signed eTrace agreements on March 31, 2009 (For additional information see: http://www.state.gov/p/wha/hs/c29869.htm). The seven Central American states signed the same MOU in December 2008. (For additional informational see: http://www.state.gov/p/wha/hs/c29261.htm).

ATF is a law enforcement agency within the U.S. Department of Justice dedicated to preventing and fighting violent crime. More information on ATF and its programs and resources is at www.atf.gov.

Contact: Public Affairs Division (202) 648-8500

SOURCE Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Source: PR Newswire

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