The Sierra Leone Police (SLP) is gearing up to enhance its crime-fighting capabilities with the deployment of 100 new criminal data collection workstations nationwide. This initiative, aimed at combating Transnational Organized Crime, is being facilitated by INTERPOL through its West Africa Police Information System (WAPIS) program. The announcement was made by D/CSP Genevieve Tity Cowan, Head of INTERPOL in Sierra Leone Police, during the inaugural WAPIS National Steering Committee Meeting held at the Atlantic Lumley Hotel in Freetown on June 18, 2024.
Commissioner Joseph Ibrahim Lahai, Director of Crime Services representing the Inspector General of Police, commended the WAPIS program’s achievements. Lahai emphasized the pivotal role of digitalizing criminal data, particularly through the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), in tackling Transnational Organized Crime across West Africa. He expressed gratitude for INTERPOL’s implementation of the program and highlighted the operational benefits of the I-24/7 system, noting its contribution to enhancing police efficiency through streamlined data collection, analysis, sharing, referencing, and inter-institutional interfacing.
Addressing the meeting as keynote speaker on behalf of the government, Francis Languba Keily, Chief of Staff at the Office of National Security, stressed the urgency of addressing Transnational Organized Crime as a borderless challenge requiring robust action. Keily acknowledged the crucial funding support from the European Union for the WAPIS program and emphasized the need for planning a sustainable transition beyond 2025. He underscored the importance of developing an exit strategy to ensure the program’s long-term impact through governmental budgetary planning.
The meeting concluded with detailed discussions on the technical and professional aspects of the WAPIS program, highlighting collaborative efforts aimed at bolstering law enforcement capabilities in Sierra Leone.
