The police department has 18,000 convicts in the database

The West African Police Information System (WAPIS) Ghana, has listed in its database around 18,000 convicts to step up inter-agency cooperation in the fight against crime.

Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr George Akuffo Dampare, said the data was being queried by institutions that were conducting investigations in the country.

The Acting IGP said this in a speech read on its behalf by the Commissioner of Police (COP) Mr. Isaac Ken Yeboah, Director General in charge of the Department of Criminal Investigations, at the opening of the three-day regional training. WAPIS on quality data for selected law enforcement officers in Accra.

WAPIS was formed to create a criminal data sharing system in West Africa to fight transnational crime such as arms smuggling, drug trafficking, piracy and cybercrime.

The law enforcement officers selected for the training came from Ghana, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Guinea Bissau and Liberia.

The Acting IGP noted that WAPIS had deployed equipment such as scanners, computers and UPSs to its stakeholders in the country for data entry and said its administration would do more to ensure the implementation. smooth implementation of the WAPIS program in Ghana.

Police Superintendent Ms Naomi Acquah, INTERPOL Accra’s second in command, said the availability and access to quality data, in accordance with established rules and procedures, has been a cornerstone of all activities of successful law enforcement and that it made the world a better and safer place.

Supt. Acquah said quality data is accessible by its accuracy, completeness, consistency, timeliness, validity and uniqueness, adding that the need for quality electronic data to ensure a better and safer place has grown. relevant because of the many challenges posed by COVID-19. pandemic.

“This training could not take place at a more opportune time than this, as the West African region is plagued by issues such as political instability, increased maritime crime, the proliferation of small arms and theft.

“The resounding call from citizens for law enforcement officials to urgently jump into the task of making the world a safer place is stronger than ever,” said the superintendent. Acquah said.

She said the situation therefore underscored the relevance of the WAPIS program, which, when implemented, would be an invaluable asset and provide law enforcement officers with quality data to work with.

Baba Gana Wakil, Ambassador of ECOWAS, noted that one of the challenges in the fight against transnational organized crime in West Africa was the lack of appropriate infrastructure to collect, store, manage, analyze and share data. between law enforcement agencies at national and regional levels.

“Most of the activities could not be accomplished during the project period due to bureaucratic obstacles in the operationalization process at the national level and the lack of national budgets to support the project, which was also worsened. by the COVID-19 pandemic, “he noted.

Baba Wakil therefore urged member states to work closely together at national, regional and global levels to tackle transitional organized crime.

He called on the European Union (EU) to consider extending the implementation phase of the WAPIS project beyond June 2022, in order to ensure its successful implementation in other Member States.

GNA