ECOWAS Police Chiefs are to meet in Bamako, Mali with other stakeholders to discuss, among other things, the strategies for strengthening the region’s capacity in combating transnational crime. It holds from 16th and 17th April, 2014.
The meeting of the technical sub-committee of the West Africa Police Chiefs Committee (WAPPCO) is to foster cooperation among police officers specialized in the training and operations with a view to strengthening regional capacities to effectively combat organized crime.
The meeting will also examine the implementation status of the recommendations of the previous General Assembly of WAPPCO on Joint Police operations for information exchange and experience sharing, and best practices on police training and operations.
The participants, including police officers, ECOWAS technical staff, as well as representatives of INTERPOL and other law enforcement bodies, will also agree implementation procedures for conducting Joint Police operations adopted at the last WAPCCO Annual General Assembly.
The vastness and porosity of West Africa’s terrestrial borders, and proximity to the Sahel have made the region a transit zone for various trafficking activities.
Other crime challenges facing the region include the presence of terrorist and illegal armed groups, drug and human trafficking networks, as well as proliferation of arms and ammunition and money laundering.
In addition, the recent crisis in Mali created humanitarian and security problems in the country and its neighbours.
There are also piracy and other illegal marine activities off the coast of West Africa, especially within the Gulf of Guinea, constituting a growing threat to security in the region.
ECOWAS Member States lack adequate law enforcement and criminal justice systems to tackle these challenges and combating transnational crime demands the pooling of resources at national, regional and global levels.
WAPCCO was created as a specialized institution and consultative body for Regional Police Cooperation, to serve as a platform for combating crime and other security threats in the region.
The Committee, whose permanent secretariat is domiciled in the Regional Security Division of the ECOWAS Commission, organizes and coordinates periodic review and planning meetings of its technical sub-committee as well as joint training and operations/exercises, and an annual general assembly.
At the last general assembly held in Niamey, Niger in September 2013, a number of cross-border crimes, including trafficking of stolen vehicles, proliferation of small arms and light weapons, drug and human trafficking and terrorist activities, were identified for tackling, including through joint training and operations/exercises.
