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| The WAPIS programme held a high-level meeting on the implementation of the regional police information-sharing system. [PHOTO: Interpol] |
Niamey, Niger: Senior law enforcement officials gathered in
Niger to assess the progress of the implementation the West African Police
Information System (WAPIS) programme.
As INTERPOL is implementing the WAPIS system in four pilot
countries – Benin, Ghana, Mali and Niger – the first part of the three-day
meeting (23-25 June) saw representatives from law enforcement and Ministries of
Justice in the pilot countries and an observer country, Mauritania, discuss
issues related to the launch of the regional information-sharing platform. In
this process, INTERPOL is offering its support to the countries in developing a
solid legal foundation for the implementation of the WAPIS system.
With the pilot countries working to set up a national data
collection and registration centre and define a clear framework for the
establishment of the WAPIS system within their borders, issues addressed during
the meeting included data protection regulations and the creation of an
autonomous regulatory body.
The second part of the meeting was attended by heads of
police, gendarmerie and customs agencies from Benin, Ghana, Mali and Niger, as
well as INTERPOL, the European Union, the Economic Community of West African
States (ECOWAS), the President of the West African Police Chiefs Committee
(WAPCCO) and the Minister of Interior of Niger.
The law enforcement heads were briefed on the progress of
the WAPIS implementation, and each expressed their commitment to advancing the
project within their respective countries.
The WAPIS Programme, funded by the European Union and
implemented by INTERPOL, aims at setting up national police databases in all
ECOWAS member countries and Mauritania, and linking them together in a regional
police information-sharing platform under the aegis of ECOWAS.