By: Saidu Jalloh
A French expert from INTERPOL, Police Commandant Didier Clergeot, on Monday paid a courtesy visit to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), William Fayia Sellu, at the headquarters of the Sierra Leone Police in Freetown ahead of a specialized training programme on border management operations.
Commandant Clergeot explained that the training is aimed at strengthening the capacity of personnel from the Sierra Leone Police and the Sierra Leone Immigration Department in identifying stolen vehicles, fraudulent passports, and other forms of transnational crime.
He further disclosed that participants would receive practical training on the effective use of INTERPOL systems for reporting, tracking, and monitoring criminal activities across borders.
According to the INTERPOL expert, the programme forms part of broader international efforts to support law enforcement agencies in improving border security and combating organized crime across the sub-region.
Responding to the initiative, IGP William Fayia Sellu welcomed the intervention and described it as timely, noting that Sierra Leone shares several porous border crossings with neighboring Liberia and Guinea.
He stated that the training would enhance the capacity of police officers and other security personnel to detect stolen vehicles and fraudulent travel documents while improving their operational knowledge of INTERPOL tools and systems.
The five-day intensive training programme has officially commenced with the participation of twelve police officers, two immigration officers, representatives from the Sierra Leone Ports Authority, and the National Revenue Authority.
The Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Sahr Yomba Senesi, represented the IGP during the official opening ceremony of the training programme facilitated by the INTERPOL expert from France.