January 28, 2022
BY MOHAMED M. SESAY
During the official launch of the West Africa Police Information System (WAPIS) at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the Chief Minister Jacob Jusu Saffa has on the 27th January 2022, reaffirmed government commitment to support the sustainability of the WAPIS project.
In his key note address, Jacob Jusu Saffa stated that it was an opportunity for him to deliver a statement for the inauguration of the West Africa Police Information System project in Sierra Leone. He disclosed that the WAPIS which was established in 2012, is an ECOWAS programme funded by the European Union and implemented by Interpol. He added that the WAPIS programme was extended to Sierra Leone in 2017 and finally signed in 2019.
Taking into consideration of the importance of the programme in promoting peace and security within the region, Chief Minister disclosed that the Government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Internal Affairs has been working tirelessly with other partners in order to establish the WAPIS Data Collection Registration Center. He noted that the primarily objective of the WAPIS project is to enhance the capability of Law enforcement agencies.
“I must emphasize that the New Direction Manifesto promised to develop the capacity of police to combat crimes. And this project is in support of that promise made by government”, he said.
He continued that the project aims at enhancing the capacity of law enforcement agencies in West Africa in order to combat Transnational organized crimes and terrorism by facilitating the sharing of information to member states. He furthered that the project serves as a platform of exchanging data for criminals. He assured that the Government of Sierra Leone has given its fullest support to the implementation of WAPIS project right from the inception.
He also intimated that Sierra Leone provided the premises to host the WAPIS information center which is responsible for the management and operation for the WAPIS system at the Criminal Investigation Department Headquarters in Freetown.
Jacob Jusu Saffa justified the above statement to be a clear indication of President Bio’s commitment in ensuring the maintenance of national, sub-regional and global peace and security. He assured that the project will promote strong working relationship between law enforcement agencies in the country and the West Africa Sub-region at large. In addition, he said the project will help bring together security service providers and other agencies to maintain data on crime and criminals in the pursuit of the common objective.
On his part, the Inspector General of Police Dr. Ambrose Sovula, also intimated that since the inception of the WAPIS programme, a lot of collaborative efforts have been made in establishing the WAPIS center in Sierra Leone. He added that the development of relevant frameworks and regulations including staff trainings, allocation of office complex were among the many key steps the leadership of the Sierra Leone Police has achieved. He noted that the importance of the WAPIS programme cannot be overemphasized because it is a system that will not only make effective network among national actors on crime management, but will also connect with other law enforcement institutions of participatory countries within the ECOWAS Region and beyond, through the Interpol Global Communication System.
The Head of the WAPIS Programme Richard Gotwe expressed profound thanks and appreciation to the Government of Sierra Leone for the political leadership exhibited for the implementation of the programme in Sierra Leone. He disclosed that the aim of the WAPIS programme is to support Sierra Leone Law Enforcement Agencies in the collection, storage, analysis, and sharing of electronics criminal data among themselves with the ultimate goal of combating all forms of crimes.
In order to reciprocate the effort of the Government of Sierra Leone, Richard Gotwe further intimated that Interpol has deployed eighty (80) workstations within major areas of Freetown including Lumley Police Station, Rose Road Police Station, the Immigration Department, and the Anti-Corruption Commission. He also disclosed that they have conducted one training session for 50 law enforcement personnel on the issue of National Crime Management System. He concluded by reassuring that the intention of the European Union, Interpol and ECOWAS is to have a durable and sustainable system that will stand the test of time within the sub-region.