Abuja - Nigeria — A two-day workshop of the West African Police Chiefs Committee (WAPCCO) began in Abuja on Tuesday 17th May 2011 to discuss regional security situation and issues relating to the Abidjan International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) Regional Bureau.
In an opening address, Brigadier-General Mahamane Toure, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security called on the police chiefs to develop a framework for encouraging Member States to ratify the Protocol on the creation of the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Bureau, which was adopted by the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government in October 2005.
The Commissioner, represented by Lieutenant Colonel Dieng Abdulrahman, also urged collaboration among national and regional security services including police forces and information agencies to encourage pre-emptive operations rather than reactive services. He explained that Vision 2020 which focuses on "moving from an ECOWAS of States to an ECOWAS of the people" placed a high premium on security and expressed optimism that the high level of participation will enrich deliberations and recommendations of the meeting.
WAPCCO is a specialized institution of ECOWAS. It is empowered to identify trends and patterns of crimes, organize conferences and meetings, establish and nurture contacts with different law-enforcement authorities and assist in sharing best practices in the sub-region, among other tasks.
Participants including civilians, the police, gendarmerie and military personnel from the ECOWAS headquarters and Member States are attending the meeting, the first of two preparatory gatherings ahead of the Annual General Assembly of WAPCCO.
