UN, INTERPOL discuss transnational organised crime in West Africa

The Special Representative of the United Nations (UN) Secretary- General for West Africa, Said Djinnit Monday February 13, 2012 met with Ronald K. Noble, the Secretary General of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) to discuss issues of common concern in West Africa.

In a joint statement, the two bodies said the discussion  covered a  range of cross – border issues such as “transnational organised crime  including illicit drug  trafficking and the proliferation  of weapons  in West  Africa and  in the Sahel Region as  well as piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.”

The  two  officials, according to the statement stressed the importance of joining efforts  to efficiently address  the increasing  complexity of  transnational  organized crime which seriously  threatens the  stability of the sub-region and is an impediment to its development.

They also highlighted the key role of INTERPOL’s expertise in information sharing through high-tech infrastructure to enable national  police services to  work together.

In  this  regard,  they reviewed the  latest  achievements  and challenges  of the  West Africa Coast  Initiative (WACI) aimed at  combating  illicit trafficking and organized crime in the sub- region, it noted.

By Ekow Quandzie