Police modernization, inter-agency cooperation and information sharing top the list of priorities for Mexico, Colombia, Central American countries and the Dominican Republic as they work to develop a regional strategy to confront the threat from organized crime.

Foreign ministers and deputy foreign ministers from the participating countries gathered in the town of Tuxtla Gutierrez, southern Mexico, to finalize the agenda for November’s XIII Tuxtla Summit, where regional heads of state will formalize plans for a regional security strategy.

The transnational aspects of organized crime require a unified, coordinated security response from the region, said Guatemala’s Foreign Minister Haroldo Rodas.

Participants will identify funding mechanisms and detailed strategies for eight projects intended to facilitate information sharing between governments, strengthen judicial and legal institutions, modernize police forces and streamline judicial processes to better address transnational threats from organized criminals, including money laundering and the trafficking of drugs and weapons.

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