By: Mohamed M. Sesay
During the official training session for Police Personnel under the West Africa Police Information System (WAPIS) at the Criminal Investigations Departments, the Inspector General of Police William Fayia Sellu assured the European Union Ambassador that the WAPIS programme is very close to his heart and would do anything possible as the Inspector General of Police to sustain the WAPIS programme.
The Inspector General of Police William Fayia Sellu also acknowledged that without an effective exchange of police information within the sub-region, as well as between the region and the rest of the world, no law enforcement strategy can effectively address those threats. He added that one cannot dream of a secured West African Region until a reliable police information system is put in place.
He reminded me that in January 2022, the Chief Minister in consonant with Interpol and the European Union inaugurated the WAPIS Data Collection and Registration Center at the Criminal Investigation Department Headquarters. Since that inauguration, the Inspector General of Police also intimated that electronic criminal data has been collected daily at the Criminal Investigations Department.
IGP Fayia Sellu also revealed that Interpol has deployed 40 WAPIS workstations in Sierra Leone of which 10 are deployed at the Criminal Investigations Department Headquarters. He added that the system is already expanding because they have made deployment of the system in Bo, Kenema, Makeni, Port Loko, Freetown East and Freetown West. He, therefore, called for more and strong political commitment as already demonstrated by the Minister of Internal Affairs. He also called for a robust operational commitment to make the centre the real brain of the National Police Information System.
The inspector General of Police equally assured the gathering that he would personally ensure Personnel trained to use the WAPIS System remain in post for at least three years.
He emphasized that the WAPIS programme is very crucial and he reassured development partners that Sierra Leone is ready to make good use of such investment.
“The Financial sustainability of this system is a second issue, sensitive and essential. We are aware of the financial constraints of West African Countries. We know the allocation of personnel and allocation of budget for a new service require enormous sacrifices from our government. Therefore, we shall work with relevant ministries to ensure that there is a budget line for the sustainability of the WAPIS system here in Sierra Leone”, said IGP Sellu.
In his statement, the European Union Ambassador Manuel Alexander Muller described the event as another important step toward the implementation of an integrated West African Police Information System, geared towards strengthening the security architecture of Sierra Leone and the sub-region at large. He added that the WAPIS programme strives to enhance the capacity of West Africa Law Enforcement Authorities to combat transnational crimes and terrorism.
As a committed partner, Ambassador Muller assured the Inspector General of Police that the European Union is pleased to contribute to the fight against insecurity and criminality globally, in the region and Sierra Leone in particular. He revealed that data from African Union shows that porous borders, uncoordinated state security agencies, weak collaborative efforts and legal regulatory frameworks, are the specific challenges that stop ECOWAS member states from clamping down on organized crimes. He furthered that additional data from Interpol, also shows that the threat of organized crimes pose in West Africa is a substantial indication that Sierra Leone is increasingly being used by drug traffickers as a transit point for drugs bound for Europe from Latin America.