This week, the 35th annual Regional Intelligence Meeting kicked off in St. John’s, the capital of Antigua and Barbuda, with the island nation using the opening ceremony to reinforce its unwavering backing for cross-regional intelligence collaboration and collective security across the Caribbean basin. The country’s top law enforcement official, Attorney General Sir Steadroy C. Benjamin – who oversees the portfolios of justice, legal affairs, public safety and labor – delivered the keynote address on behalf of Prime Minister Gaston Browne, who was forced to miss the gathering due to a pre-scheduled prior commitment. After extending Browne’s formal apologies for his absence, Benjamin confirmed that the Antigua and Barbuda government stands fully behind the Regional Intelligence Meeting and the broader Caribbean regional security architecture. Speaking to a gathering of regional intelligence directors and senior security officials from across the Caribbean, Benjamin celebrated the forum’s 35-year history of facilitating coordination, framing the long-running event as clear proof of the region’s long-standing dedication to information sharing and joint action to counter cross-border criminal activity. In his remarks, the Attorney General sounded a note of caution that Caribbean states are confronting a growing array of increasingly complex and evolving security risks. These threats range from long-standing challenges, such as narcotics trafficking, the illegal weapons trade, human trafficking, and migrant smuggling, to newer concerns including violent extremism and cyber-facilitated financial fraud. He specifically highlighted cybercrime as one of the fastest-growing hazards facing the region, stressing that stepped-up intelligence-driven operations are urgently needed to map out and take down transnational criminal networks that operate across multiple Caribbean borders. Beyond discussions of ongoing threats, Benjamin also outlined Antigua and Barbuda’s ongoing preparations to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) scheduled for November 2026. He noted that robust regional intelligence sharing will be an indispensable component of guaranteeing the safety and long-term success of this high-profile international gathering, which will draw leaders from across the Commonwealth of Nations. Framing intelligence gathering and sharing as the bedrock of effective policing, border management, counter-terrorism operations, and investigations into illicit financial activity, Benjamin urged regional intelligence leaders to continue deepening mutual trust through consistent practices of timely, secure, and professional information exchange. He also emphasized the critical need for updated national and regional legislative frameworks that enable lawful, effective intelligence operations. This, he argued, includes strengthening legislation targeting cybercrime, formalizing binding cross-border intelligence-sharing agreements, and updating robust data protection regulations to balance security needs with privacy rights. Closing the opening ceremony, Benjamin repeated the core message from Prime Minister Browne: protecting the Caribbean’s people, economies and borders requires a unified, region-wide approach rather than isolated national action. He closed by offering sincere gratitude to the assembled intelligence professionals for their often unseen public service, and expressed strong confidence that the three-day meeting would generate actionable, meaningful outcomes that will reinforce security for all members of the Caribbean Community. Over the course of the three-day summit, heads of national intelligence units, senior national security officials, and key regional security partners will work together to examine emerging security threats, expand collaborative mechanisms for intelligence sharing, and shore up the region’s collective ability to respond to shared security challenges.
Antigua and Barbuda Backs Stronger Regional Intelligence Cooperation as 35th Regional Intelligence Meeting Opens in St. John’s
