The third activity in the series of domestic workshops on cybercrime legislation and electronic evidence, this time with national authorities of Montserrat, was organised between 29-30 March 2021 by the Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS) and the Council of Europe in the framework of the Octopus Project.

The two-day online event gathered around 30 officials involved in drafting, reforming, implementing and enforcing national laws on behalf of the Attorney General’s Chambers, Office of the Director of Public Prosecution, Royal Montserrat Police Service, Ministry of Communications and Works, Ministry of Agriculture, Office of the Premier, Ministry of Education, as well as participants from the US Department of Justice, CARICOM IMPACS and the Council of Europe.

Through this workshop the opportunity was created for the Council of Europe to offer its support to national authorities of Montserrat in harmonising their domestic legal response with international best practice standards related to challenges posed by cybercrime and electronic evidence. The refence point was the Council of Europe’s Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, with presentations and discussions around definitions, substantive law, procedural law and international cooperation in line with Human Rights and Rule of Law principles. A comparative table and a desk study on the current legislation in Montserrat were also drafted around these key directions by Council of Europe experts, with specific recommendations made.

Through the Octopus Project, the Council of Europe will continue to provide support to countries in the Caribbean region for legislative alignment with international best practices based on the Budapest Convention on cybercrime as a global standard, as well as for further capacity building.

 CARICOM IMPACS website  

 Octopus Project webpage