LATF AND INTERPOL JOINTLY CONCLUDE A DATABASE (RAID) AND CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE ANALYSIS COURSE

A regional training course in criminal intelligence analysis and Real-time Analysis Intelligence Database (RAID) was organized and conducted by the Lusaka Agreement Task Force (LATF) in conjunction with INTERPOL General Secretariat between 22nd November 2010 and 10th December 2010 at the Kenya Wildlife Service Headquarters, Nairobi. Its main purpose was to equip law enforcement officers with the requisite knowledge and skills to enhance enforcement of environmental and related laws as well as compliance with Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and international conventions in Africa. The training brought together officers from some Lusaka Agreement member states while the trainers were drawn from INTERPOL Lyon (Luis Rodriguez-Cortes and Nathalie Richard-Bober) and INTERPOL Regional Bureau in Nairobi (Shadya Omar).

In his opening and closing remarks, the Director of LATF Mr. Bonaventure Ebayi commended the long standing relationship and cherished partnership with INTERPOL and for their continued support to the work of the Lusaka Agreement in the region. The Director, urged INTERPOL General Secretariat to continue assisting LATF in carrying out more of such regional trainings.  He expressed his deep gratitude to Lusaka Agreement member states for sponsoring their respective participants to the course.  Mr. Ebayi further urged the participants to become active focal points in the LATF network and to continue encouraging their agencies to maintain the momentum and good track of their engagements in the fight against environmental and wildlife crimes.

``The fight against illegal trade in wild fauna and flora is critical and it is a collective responsibility to stop it alongside poaching and illegal logging.  Intelligence analysis is key to the success in enforcement operations as it enables officers to better navigate through today’s world of multifaceted, complex environmental crimes and fast changing criminal trends`` he reiterated.

Group photo of participants