Law enforcement agencies and
operatives in West Africa should close ranks and upgrade their knowledge and
tools in order to counter the sophistication of criminals and the rising wave
of organized transnational crimes in the region, Col. Abdoulrahmane Dieng, Head
of ECOWAS Regional Security Division, has said.
Speaking on behalf of the
Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security at the opening of the
8th Annual Meeting of the West Africa’s National Central Regional Bureaux of
INTERPOL, in Abidjan on Wednesday 13th September 2012, Col. Dieng noted that
transnational organized crimes constituted a major menace to peace and security
in the region.
He said the criminals involved in
narcotic and human trafficking, money laundering, terrorism, cyber-crimes,
counterfeiting, vehicle theft and smuggling, among others, continued to perfect
their illicit trade to reduce risks and maximize their profits.
The ECOWAS official therefore called
for greater coordination and synergy among law enforcement agencies and
operatives using the West African National Central Regional Bureaux of INTERPOL
as arrow-head, especially in information sharing and analysis through the
organization’s I/24/7 network.
Col. Dieng said the creation of
the West African Police Information System (WAPIS), targeting organized
transnational crimes, should also boost intra-community police anti-crime
cooperation.
Cote d’Ivoire’s Inspector General
of Police, General Bredou M’bia spoke in the same vein in his speech in which
he also urged law enforcement agencies to redouble their efforts through
specialized training in combating crimes such as terrorism and Al-Qaeda
activities in the region.
He said the reopening of the
INTERPOL West Africa Regional Office in Abidjan would also boost the
sensitization of law enforcement agencies and operatives on the need to step up
their game towards making the region stable and safe.
INTERPOL was represented by Madam
Salimata Sow, who in her speech reaffirmed the willingness of the Organization
to strengthen collaboration with the National Central Bureaux through the
provision of adequate training and necessary equipment for effective crime
fighting.
Welcoming the participants, the
Mayor of Cote d’Ivoire’s administrative district of Cocody, represented by Mr.
Toure Abdoulaye, stressed the need for law enforcement agencies to pay
particular attention to the technical advances and methods adopted by criminals
and the need to strengthen regional strategies and cooperation in countering
them.
He emphasized the need to
demonstrate strong political will in putting in place the necessary mechanism
and policies for a stable and safe society that will contribute to the
preservation of human lives in the region.
The meeting kicks off four days
of gathering of regional security operatives, including the 13th Annual General
Assembly of the West African Police Chiefs Committee (WAPCCO) on Thursday 13th
September, the Meeting of the ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Security Services
(CCSS), on Friday 14th September and the 9th Meeting of the Forum of Ministers
in charge of security in ECOWAS Member States, all in the Ivorian capital.
The Ministers will review the
security situation in the region and make recommendations for crime control and
how to boost security in the region after considering the reports of the WAPCCO
and CCSS meetings.
The Regional Security Division of
the ECOWAS Commission, which serves as the WAPCCO Permanent Secretariat organizes
and coordinates the different levels of annual security meetings with a view to
bringing together the relevant stakeholders to report, discuss, analyze,
strategize and make recommendations in line with international best practices
on crime trends and Police collaboration in the region.
No comments:
Post a Comment