BACKGROUND TO THE FORMATION OF THE RSS
PURPOSES AND FUNCTIONS OF THE SYSTEM
THE REGIONAL SECURITY COORDINATOR (RSC)
WHAT WE ARE (cont'd)
A. The Council of Ministers consists of the Minister responsible for Security in Member States and is the supreme policy making body of the System. The Chairmanship of the Council rotates annually among the members of the Council in alphabetical order of the Member States.
The members of the council of ministers are as follows:
Antigua and Barbuda Hon Baldwin Spencer Barbados The Rt Hon David Thompson Commonwealth of Dominica Hon Roosevelt Skerrit Grenada Dr the Hon Keith Mitchell St. Kitts and Nevis Dr the Hon Denzil Douglas St. Lucia Hon Stephenson King St. Vincent and the Grenadines Dr the Hon Ralph Gonsalves
The Regional Security Coordinator (RSC):
B. The RSC is appointed by the Council of Ministers and is tasked with the responsibility for the general operational and administrative direction of the System. He is the Chief Executive Officer and is the head of the Central Liaison Office which is the Secretariat for the System. The first Regional Security Coordinator was Brigadier Rudyard Lewis who relinquished the post on 26 August 2003. Mr Grantley Watson, former Commissioner of Police of the Royal Barbados Police Force has been appointed from 01 October 2003.
C. There are (10) Security Chiefs which comprise the seven (07) Commissioners of Police and the three military commanders of the Defence Forces within the Member States. The RSC is the Chairman of the Committee of Security Chiefs.
These security chiefs are as follows:
Antigua & Barbuda Mr. Gary Nelson
Commisioner of Police Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda Chief of Defence Staff Trevor Thomas Commander Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force Barbados Mr. Darwin Dottin Commissioner of Police Royal Barbados Police Force Col. Alvin Quintyne Chief of Staff Barbados Defence Force Commonwealth of Dominica Mr Mathias Lestrade Commissioner of Police Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force Grenada Mr Winston James Commissioner of Police Royal Grenada Police Force St. Kitts and Nevis Mr Austin Williams (Ag) Commissioner of Police Royal St Kitts and Nevis Police Force Maj Patrick Wallace Commander St Kitts and Nevis Defence Force St. Lucia Mr. John Broughton (Ag) Commissioner of Police Royal St. Lucia Police Force St. Vincent and the Grenadines Mr Keith Miller Commissioner of Police Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force The Central Liaison Office (CLO):
D. This is the Secretariat for the RSS and is presently located at Paragon Base in Christ Church Barbados. It is staffed by regional officers from the Police and Defence Forces of the Member States and a number of civilian staff. The CLO acts as the operational headquarters for the System. The primary objective of the CLO is to coordinate the directions given in the RSS Treaty to ensure the security of Member States. The secondary objectives of the CLO are to negotiate with regional agencies on behalf of the RSS Governments, to administer the Central Fund and to plan and coordinate joint training and exercises on behalf of Member States.
The System is financed through contributions from its Member States. The United States, United Kingdom and Canada assist the RSS by providing funding for training courses, conferences and equipment for personnel of the security forces of Member States.
The contributions paid by Member States for the conduct of the affairs of RSS can be likened to premiums paid on an insurance policy but the countries have received much more that insurance in return. The existence over the last twenty-one years has not only provided general security support, disaster relief and interdiction of illegal drugs but also training, personal development and technical assistance.