The Honourable Faris Al-Rawi, M.P., Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs was paid a courtesy call by British High Commissioner, His Excellency Tim Stew, Sir David Veness,
Former United Nations Under-Secretary General for Safety and Security and Mr. Joe Connell, Senior Adviser on counter-terrorism investigations at the International Institute of Justice and Rule of Law, on Friday 14th September 2018. The visit took place at the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs at the AGLA Tower, Government Plaza, Corner London and Richmond Streets, Port of Spain.
Mr. Connell and Sir Veness are here as part of training sessions on counter-terrorism investigations led by the International Institute of Justice and Rule of Law. Mr. Connell has a background of thirty two years with London's Metropolitan Police and ten years involvement with international policing initiatives, which includes intelligence development and combating terrorism and organized crime.
Sir Veness similarly began his career in London’s Metropolitan Police service, which saw him serve in several capacities including Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations. He was instrumental in the development of the UK Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) and the implementation of the UK Counter-Terrorist Strategy (CONTEST). In 2005, he was appointed as the first United Nations Under-Secretary General for Safety and Security. Subsequently since 2009, he has chaired the London First Security & Resilience Advisory Board and presently co-chairs the Cross Sector Security Communications Consultative Board (CSSC). CSSC was established to enhance security communication and partnership between the UK public and private sectors for the London Olympics in 2012. Sir Veness is also an Honorary Professor of Terrorism Studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He was awarded the Queens Police Medal (QPM) in 1994, made Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2000 and Knighted in 2005.
The objective of the Counter-terrorism Investigations training is to provide bespoke advice/training during a 10 day period (September 10-21) for terrorism investigators and prosecutors based on real counter-terrorism investigations in the United Kingdom, as well as sharing the UK experience of counter-terrorism architecture, command and control structures, and messaging/communication during major terrorism incidents.
The training programme is fully funded by the UK Government through the British High Commission, Port of Spain, as part of an on-going counter-terrorism co-operation with Trinidad & Tobago.