THE Joint Communications Room (JCR) – a project run by the bicommunal Technical Committee on Crime and Criminal Matters (TCCCM) will today inaugurate its own, dedicated building in the buffer zone in Nicosia.

The aim of the JCR is to facilitate the timely exchange of information between the two sides in relation to crime.

The TCCCM is one of seven specialised committees formed as a confidence building measure between the two communities with UN support.

The committee is a mechanism for information sharing and joint initiatives on crime and criminal matters on the island.

The JCR operates on a daily 24-hour basis and until now it was housed in temporary accommodation within UN protected area at the defunct Nicosia airport.

Two representatives from each community meet six days a week and have a continuous on-call arrangement.

Matters dealt with by the JCR include a broad spectrum of criminal activity such as murders, drug offences, people-smuggling and trafficking.

In 2008 the TCCCM organised a series of meetings between the bank associations of both Cypriot communities to address the issue of money laundering.

During the same year, the TCCCM, in association with the Danish government, conducted a public information day on safe driving and safe driving programs.

In January this year the committee facilitated a seminar where speakers from both communities addressed the issue of youth crime and anti-social behaviour and the mechanisms for dealing with these situations.

The opening of the new location for the JCR, in what was a former UN observation post in the buffer zone within the Ayios Dhometios crossing, was made possible with the support provided to the Technical Committee on Crime and Criminal Matters (TCCCM) and the JCR by the UN and donor countries who support their efforts.

The event will be attended by UN special adviser on Cyprus Alexander Downer, representatives of the two communities and the US ambassador – whose country is the main contributor to the project – Frank Urbancic.