Abuja - Nigeria — West African Police Chiefs ended a three-day meeting in Lome, Togo on Friday 23rd March 2012, by recommending a number of Police Operations against transnational crimes, including illegal circulation of small and light weapons, drug and human trafficking, and vehicle theft. The meeting, the first of two preparatory meetings ahead of the WAPCCO General Assembly in June 2012, urged national authorities of seven countries selected for the anti-crime operations to support the exercises and ensure their successful implementation.
According to the schedule, Togo, Benin and Ghana police will be involved in the Pilot operation against drug trafficking, while Niger and Nigeria will organize anti-small arms and light weapons operation, with anti-vehicle theft exercise programmed for Cote d'Ivoire and human trafficking exercise in Burkina Faso. The meeting also urged ECOWAS Member States to intensify efforts to educate national stakeholders on law enforcement, based on INTERPOL tools and ECOWAS legal instruments on security.
Furthermore, ECOWAS Member States and Mauritania were urged to provide INTERPOL Abidjan Regional Office with Specialized Officers to enable it commence operations and facilitate regional police operations, while WAPCCO Permanent Secretariat should liaise with the INTERPOL Regional Office to receive, analyse and exchange information on criminal trends in the region.
The meeting urged WAPCCO to initiate, in collaboration with the Central African Police Chiefs Committee (CAPCCO), the organization of a meeting of Technical Sub-committees of the two Committees with a view to discussing issues of common interest and laying the groundwork for the signing of a cooperation agreement between the two regions on criminal matters. National authorities of ECOWAS Member States should also take measures to ensure that various Criminal Police Cooperation agreements are effectively implemented.
The meeting attended by Police Chiefs of ECOWAS Member States, as well as ECOWAS Commission officials and representatives of INTERPOL, discussed challenges of policing in West Africa, including Crime Trends, Joint or Simultaneous Police Operations and Joint Operations on Drug, as well as the implementation of recommendations of the INTERPOL international and regional meetings by West African countries.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, on behalf of Inspector General of Togolese National Police, Deputy Inspector General, Commissioner Teko Koudouhovor, congratulated the participants for the high quality of their contributions and enjoined them to sustain and expand anti-crime networks they have developed towards making the region safe, stable and prosperous. He reaffirmed Togo's support to regional efforts in battling transnational crimes in West Africa.
Addressing the opening, INTERPOL representative Mr. Juan Carlos Antoniassi, had also pledged his organization's continued collaboration with stakeholders towards making the region safe and crime-free. The Head of ECOWAS Regional Security Directorate, General Charles Okae, represented by Col.
Abdouramane Dieng, called on police chiefs in Member States to develop regional strategies and synergy in tackling organized transnational crimes confronting West Africa, especially illegal circulation of weapons, piracy and terrorism.
